Susanna Freymark
Kailie Hetherington’s experience of mental illness inspired her short film Chaos to Calm.
The doco shows the intricacies of mental health recovery and gives viewers hope that there is a way out of the darkness, Kailie said.
What helped Kailie with her crippling anxiety and depression was learning to surf with her two boys.
Kailie is 41 and is seeking funding for Chaos to Calm through an online fundraiser.
“I’m very excited to launch my debut film career as a student of Kyogle Film Academy,” she said.
“Storytelling is a powerful tool and I am privileged to share some of my journey with mental health with my community.
“Having been born in Kyogle and raised in Evans Head, this film is personal to me and also an important story to share.”
Kailie said she is no different to any other working mum except that her responsibilities as a partner, mother, stepmother and businesswoman far outweighed her perceived capacity in life.
Even the smallest of tasks seemed huge at best and unbearable at times, she said.
Everybody except Kailie thought she had it all together.
In her quest to improve her mental health and find inner peace, Chaos to Calm explores Kailie’s love of the ocean and the impact it has on her mental health.
The film is set on the beaches of Evans Head.
To complete the film, Kailie needs funding for catering, a locally made surfboard, a location with a river cabin and money to host a film crew at Evans Head for the weekend.
She’d like to feature local merchandise in the film.
Kailie is driven to bring awareness to mental health.
“We are generally aware of the impact suicide has on our communities, however, something I found in my recovery was that we didn’t have to live like this.
“It took me years of therapy to be told that there was a cure for the type of crippling depression and anxiety that was eating away at me and many other people I know.”
