Each and Every Day
From MTV Films by Director Alexandra Shiva and Executive Producer Sheila Nevins in partnership with The Jed Foundation
Each and Every Day
Each and Every Day, from Executive Producer Sheila Nevins and Director Alexandra Shiva and created in partnership with MTV and The Jed Foundation (JED), is a documentary exploration of youth mental health through the eyes of young people who have attempted suicide or have struggled with suicidal thoughts. The nine people featured range in age from late-teens to early-thirties and come from diverse backgrounds. They share not only their challenges, but also their recoveries and hard-won wisdom about what made their life worth living. In addition to telling their personal stories, all the participants meet virtually, creating an online community to discuss mental health challenges. The film offers relatable and authentic portraits of young people dealing with suicide and emphasizes help seeking and hope.
Sometimes witnessing other people share their stories leaves an audience member wanting to share their own story. It can be powerful to share our stories with people we know and trust. If you are considering sharing your story with someone in your life, here are a few resources to help:
This webinar features Sheila and Alexandra, as well as Senior Director of Learning & Knowledge Janis Whitlock, Ph.D., M.P.H., and JED Storyteller Saniya Soni, in conversation about the purpose of film, major takeaways from the production process/behind-the-scenes experiences, and the importance of highlighting conversations about suicide specifically at this moment in our nation.
*Each and Every Day contains mature mental health and suicide related themes and content. Viewers with personal experience with suicide or mental health experiences / challenges are advised to be sure that they have adequate self-support readily available. Viewers younger than 16 years of age may benefit from viewing with an adult present or nearby.
Watch the trailer and fill out the form at the bottom of this page to access the full film.
Click here to learn about screening this film on your campus.
A Note from the Filmmaker
“I really wanted to do a film that focused on prevention of suicide in young people,” Shiva tells MTV News. The filmmaker is interested in exploring identity through different lenses, with a focus on young people and coming-of-age stories that capture marginalized communities, feelings of belonging, and the creation of connections. “I wanted to walk people through the experience of others where they have either attempted [suicide], or have come close to attempting but they are on the other side of that and they’ve done a lot of work,” Shiva says. She believed that sharing these narratives would allow young people to impart wisdom and worthwhile tools they’ve acquired through their difficult experiences. “I was so inspired by how honest and open they were about talking about mental health.” Ultimately, Shiva hopes that the film resonates with anyone who has had or is currently having thoughts of suicide and that they’ll feel less alone and and see the uplifting message of hope, recovery and the importance of treatment and honest conversation. Building a life worth living is possible.
Alexandra Shiva
Alexandra Shiva is an award-winning filmmaker, known for crafting intimate character-driven cinema verite documentaries. Her most recent film, THIS IS HOME, is an intimate portrait of four Syrian refugee families arriving in Baltimore, Maryland and struggling to find their footing in the first 8-months. The film premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2018, where it won the Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary, and will broadcast on EPIX. Her previous film, HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, won a Peabody Award and premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2015 and aired on HBO to great critical acclaim.
Sheila Nevins
Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer, currently serves as an Executive Producer at MTV Networks. She is the former president of HBO Documentary Films and Family Programming where she was responsible for overseeing the development and production of more than 1500 programs for HBO, HBO2 and Cinemax. As an executive producer or producer, she has received 32 Primetime Emmy® Awards, 35 News and Documentary Emmys® and 42 George Foster Peabody Awards. During her tenure, HBO’s critically acclaimed documentaries won 26 Academy Awards®. Sheila has been honored with numerous prestigious career achievement awards, including the 2018 Realscreen Legacy Award, the 2017 DOC NYC Lifetime Achievement Award and the Governor’s Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She won the first George Foster Peabody Award ever presented to a cable program for “She’s Nobody’s Baby”, which was produced with Ms. Magazine. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of You Don’t Look Your Age… and Other Fairy Tales.
Download Each and Every Day Link & Playbook
This film contains honest conversations between young people about suicide and thoughts of self harm. For some viewers, this may cause uncomfortable feelings at times. It is important to remember that you can pause viewing as needed to engage in self-care.
