Home Comforts

What does it mean to call somewhere home? Is it the place we grow up, the people we share it with or the identities we form inside its walls?

Home Comforts invites us to look closer at the spaces we inhabit and inherit, questioning what they give us, what they take from us – and how they shape who we become.

About the Programme

Bunker Baby d. Conor McCormick (Ireland, 2024) 16m

A young couple grapple with an unexpected pregnancy amidst Ireland’s housing crisis. Living with Lauren’s overbearing parents, Theo’s neuroses intensify, straining their relationship. He finds solace in a mysterious garden project.


Of All The Things d. Steff Lee (UK, 2025) 7m

Ava remembers her childhood home as a place full of amazing things. But when she returns from university, what used to be an exciting playground has become oppressive, and her mother’s fear of letting go overwhelms their home and their relationship.


Hummus d. Marcelo Rodrigues (Germany, 2025) 19m

Marko has always been an outsider, his only constant: a daily hummus toast, a small comfort in the chaos. As he wrestles with his identity, he discovers that freedom lies not in fitting in, but in embracing who he truly is.


Mother’s Influence d. Meg Wriggles (Scotland, 2025) 14m

Growing up with an unconventional single mother – an influencer navigating aging and body dysmorphia – Meg admires her but questions how it shaped her own self-image. Through laughter and vulnerability, they unpack identity, influence, and the complexities of their evolving relationship.


Kinaara (Edge) d. Kal Sabir (Scotland, 2025) 14m

As his mother’s dementia worsens, Adil seeks support from his brother, but sibling conflict pushes him to the brink. This film highlights the lack of understanding of dementia in South Asian communities and the silent suffering of unpaid carers.


My Dying Place d. Loren Jalyn Kett (New Zealand, 2025) 19m

Patrick has found where he wants to see out the rest of his days, learning to make do with what he has. My Dying Place explores the journey to self acceptance, and the threads of life and death that bind us all.

SMHAF 2025: Comfort & Disturb

Our theme, Comfort & Disturb, references the famous Cesar A Cruz quote that “art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”. It is a simple expression of the power of art both to challenge and to console, often having a transformative effect on people and societies. The theme was collectively chosen by SMHAF’s team of regional coordinators, along with the arts team from the Mental Health Foundation. Across Scotland, hundreds of programme events have been developed in response to this powerful theme.