Fragility - Q&A with Ahang Bashi on anxiety and filmmaking

Trauma connected to migration, upheaval of the safety of a well-known home and the alienation in a new country are some of the reasons why studies show that refugees and asylum seekers are susceptible to developing anxiety disorders. It is also well-documented that women are more likely to develop anxiety disorders than men, which is believed to have to due with the stress of juggling many roles, longer hours of unpaid work and the image of female perfection that many women have to live up to. At the intersection of this we find Ahang Bashi’s documentary Fragility. Raw and personal footage from Bashi’s darkest moments show us how disabling living with anxiety and panic attacks is. The film also takes us on Bashi’s own journey back to her childhood and what might be the root of her own mental health. Beautiful and important work for the visibility of anxiety disorders and for anyone who wants to begin to understand how life with anxiety can be like.

Director Ahang Bashi will be present for the screening for a discussion about the film and the topics it brings up.

In the peak of her career documentary filmmaker Ahang Bashi falls down in a deep gorge of panic attacks and depression. With a skin deep precision, beautiful imagery and a black humor she carries the viewer into the swirling world of anxiety, sometimes dark and sometimes hopeful. With the camera as her tool she brings us back in time to the escape from Iran and the little girl who did not understand.

Fragility is a film about living with anxiety and panic attacks, Bashi films herself in her very darkest moments and anyone who wants to begin to understand what panic attacks do to you should see this film. People with panic attacks and anxiety quickly get passed a diagnosis, but is it really them or the society we live in that is sick? The documentary also questions the trauma of fleeing to another country and never dealing with the experiences as well as the “good girl” phenomena.

Filmmaker Ahang Bashi will be present for a Q&A after the screening.

Key words: anxiety attacks, ableism, mental health issues, migration, good girl

Trigger Warning: The film contain strong images of panic attacks and anxierty and can be triggering if you are dealing with these sort of issues.

This screening is supported by the Swedish Embassy in Berlin.