A documentary starring Newcastle mental health campaigner Craig Hamilton will be shown on streaming service Stan for three years. Login or signup to continue reading The film , titled The Promise, will also be shown at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival on July 28. "They're two significant things and we're excited about both of them," the former ABC radio broadcaster said.
Director Jye Currie's Newcastle-based Green Frog Productions signed the deal with Stan. "When we made it, I said to Jye that he shot it beautifully and it's such a quality production, but we're only halfway there. "You can have the best documentary in the world but, if no one sees it, it doesn't matter.
" The film tells the story of Hamilton's mental health journey and others from the Hunter affected by suicide. "They were so giving of their personal stories of tragedy, having lost family members to suicide," he said. "They're very powerful.
" In the film, he revealed his experience of being suicidal and going through manic highs and depressive lows. The story is adapted from his memoir, Broken Open , which was based on his experience of psychosis at a Newcastle train station. At the time, he was headed to cover the Sydney Olympics for ABC Sport in 2000.
Hamilton and Currie took the documentary on tour last year for 16 screenings across the country. For the past 20 years, Hamilton has spoken to many audiences from big conferences to community forums in very small towns, one of which featured in the docum.