Blue Oak Productions Addresses Children’s Mental Health in New Short Film, Tin Soldiers

Blue Oak Productions explores children's mental health in their new short film, Tin Soldiers, sparks conversation on how we care for society’s most vulnerable.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, February 27, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Blue Oak Productions, an award winning film production company operating out of both New York and Tennessee, has set their sights on a prevalent, but under-discussed topic - children’s mental health. Their short film, Tin Soldiers, directly addresses the treatment process for young children diagnosed with ADHD.

The narrative short, which was entirely shot in the Memphis/Greater Memphis Area, follows a fictional elementary school boy named Caius, a vibrant and rambunctious student who undergoes a treatment process that happens ‘to him’ as opposed to ‘with him’, exploring the difficulties that children can have in articulating how they are feeling at such a young age.

A main message of the film surrounds the idea that while ADHD medications can have profoundly positive effects for individuals diagnosed with ADHD, that treatment must also be paired with therapeutic investment. “This is a period of time where children are still trying to discover what normal feels like, which is why treatment options must also have therapy in the mix. We see Caius struggle to find the right words to describe his experience with treatment and how it makes him feel. Ultimately the film is less about his condition and more geared toward his attempt to discover a sense of normalcy in an environment that lacked a deeper therapeutic component.” (Aris Federman, Director & Writer).

Tin Soldiers tackles one facet of a larger issue. “There is so much to explore regarding this topic - from how boys and girls might have opposing issues regarding diagnosis, to the way in which we think about ADHD entirely.” Tin Soldiers also grapples with the idea that, with an issue this complex, it is reductive to point fingers. Parents, medical professionals, and children alike are all aiming at a solution. The real antagonist is how we tackle the issue en masse, and it attempts to examine this issue through the experience of a single child.

The film is a continuation of Blue Oak’s mission: to tell stories that are resonant and lasting, with a focus on discussing topics around resilience and exploration of under-discussed topics. As opposed to providing definitive answers, Blue Oak’s hope is that the film will instead inspire conversation around how we approach children’s mental health treatment, as well as encourage parents to seek out options for therapy in conjunction with children’s treatments.

The development process for the film was deeply personal for the production team and the director, and involved the consultation of psychologists and individuals with close experience with the issue.

At present, the film has just kicked off its film festival run at the Santa Fe Film Festival, where it won the jury award for ‘Best Cinematography’ (2025). Updates about the film and other projects in development can be found at Blue Oak’s website: www.blueoakproductions.com

Aris Federman
Blue Oak Productions
aris@blueoakproductions.com
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Tin Soldiers Trailer