Mental Health Film Council was founded in June 1963, following a meeting called by the National Association of Mental Health (MIND) to bring together "representatives of organisations involved in the use or distribution of mental health films".

The First Chariman was Kenneth Robinson MP who went on to become Minister of Health in the Labour Government of 1964.

Throughout the 1960s the Council focused its work on organising occasional conferences, regular Film Forums (screenings with discussions), and Appraisal Sessions where the members of the council viewed films and published their reviews. This area of the work grew into an informal information service that was a core part of the work throughout the 1970s and 1980s. We finally ceased our information service in 1996.

By the late 1980s the focus of the work had moved onto video, and we ran seminars and screenings around the country for health workers. We published a quarterly magazine "Mediawise" as well as directories of video resources.

In the 1990s we became Mental Health Media Council, and started producing our own videos, the first of which was From Anger to Action. We made Colour Me Loud - our first television production. Headlines was launched - providing media skills training to users and survivors of the mental health system; and the first Mental Health Media Awards were held in 1994.

In 1999 Mental Health Media focused its activities more sharply and made the decision to work in three main areas: Production; Media Training and Support; and the Awards.

In 2000 Headlines came to an end and we launched the Media Bureau - an initiative which will provide media training and support for service users. It will provide a one-stop-shop for users wishing to undertake media work.