THE HEALER (Short Film)

• Director: Will Jewell
• Producers: Lee Mancini
• Prod Co: Agility Films & RSA
• Cast: Ariyon Bakare (BAFTA Winner 2025 for Mr Loverman), Christine Bottomley (End of the F***ing World) & Jason Buda (Bird)

The Healer is a story of a teenager struggling with his mental healthand how equine therapy aids his recovery.Inspired by true events, the idea for the story came from the writer’sown experiences with a troubled teenager’s self harm and herfrustration at not being able to source her son effective help throughthe traditional channels.Equine assisted therapy is not mainstream, but the effectiveness ofusing horses in therapy is well documented.Horses have incredible intuition and will often synchronise their heartrate and energy with those around them, reflecting back emotion,anxiety or relaxation. Equine Therapy has been used to help PTSDsufferers, ex-Armed Forces, young people suffering from anxiety anddepression and even those who have escaped war zones.This makes them invaluable facilitators in therapy sessions as theyoften pick up on emotions that might otherwise go undiscovered.Understanding horse behaviour and communication can provide thetherapist with vital clues as to what is really happening beyond thespoken word.This is a story of hope and the power of connection.