We are delighted to be partnering with Headway East London on a film screening of The Magic of Chaos, a short documentary by award-winning filmmaker Kit Vincent about brain injury, community, and new identities.
The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion chaired by Claire Farrington Douglas, Clinical Lead/Director of Operations (Headway East London) Speech and Language therapist, and will feature:
- Kit Vincent - Director of The Magic of Chaos with personal lived experience
- Dave Mercer - Contributor to The Magic of Chaos
- Andrew Bateman - University of Essex
- Julia Harris - Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
If you would like to submit a question to the panel in advance, please email swc-comms@ucl.ac.uk.
About the film
This poignant documentary invites viewers into the magical world of Headway East London’s Day Centre, a sanctuary for over 200 individuals living with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). ABI is a silent epidemic; every 90 seconds someone from the UK is admitted to hospital with a brain injury.
The film follows the journeys of four day centre members. Yoki, who began as a Headway member, now works with the charity, providing emotional support and advocacy to other brain injury survivors. Dave, a former chauffeur to the rich and famous, has embraced cooking and is developing his artistic talents. Margie, life and soul of the community, who spreads joy through her love for food and music, and Marie-Claire who has rebuilt her life after an aneurysm left her in a coma at forty.
Through their stories, this touching film focuses on the often-hidden nature of acquired brain injury, the cataclysmic effect it has on loved ones and relationships, invisible disability, and creating a new sense of self. The Magic of Chaos offers a glimpse into Headway East London’s Day Centre, where the transformative power of art, music, food, and, above all, community brings light to lives forever changed by brain injury.