CALM spotlights heartbreaking impact of youth suicide on families in new film
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), the suicide prevention charity on a mission to help people end their misery, not their lives, is launching the second phase of its Missed Birthdays campaign.
The campaign, made possible by funding from the Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation (IFCF), marks the next instalment of creative agency adam&eveDDB’s ongoing work with CALM, in partnership with ITV and the7Stars. Following on from an initial activation at Westfield London in 2024, the second burst of the campaign centres around one film, a true story of youth suicide.
Through home videos from her childhood, the viewer is introduced to a little girl named Evelyn.
We see Evelyn celebrate birthdays and Christmases, sharing moments of highs and lows with her family, laughing and dancing. As the family grows, Evelyn is seen playing and bonding with her younger siblings.
The film is beautifully narrated by Evelyn’s mum, who remembers her daughter’s beaming smile, kind heart and amazing hugs.
The words form an emotional letter to Evelyn ahead of her birthday, and in the final frame, she is seen holding up balloons, celebrating her 15th birthday.
Toward the end of the film, white letters appear on a black background, stating that Evelyn never celebrated her 16th birthday. She is one of 6,929 young people who have taken their own life in the last decade.
Much like the first phase of the campaign, the film will direct viewers to the CALM C.A.R.E. Kit, an online resource and suite of practical tools that enable parents and trusted adults to play an active role in ending youth suicide.
The C.A.R.E kit hosts a comprehensive collection of resources designed to help prevent suicide by recognising and supporting young people throughout life and in moments of crisis.
The work debuted on 28th January 2025 alongside an omnichannel campaign planned and booked by the7stars, spanning cinema, TV, video-on-demand and social channels and runs for four weeks. The film is directed by Sebastian Edwards and produced by Academy Films. Media is managed by the7stars and PR by Hope&Glory.
Missed Birthdays seeks to turn the tragic increase and magnitude of youth suicide into an unignorable and nationwide talking point.
In the UK, 6,929 15-24-year-olds have been lost to suicide between 2012 and 2022.
Despite this sobering statistic, youth suicide is seldom spoken about. Only 15% of parents and carers have spoken about mental health and suicide with loved ones, despite 2 in 5 young people admitting to experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts.
The campaign forms part of CALM, ITV and Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation’s mission to unite the public in addressing the tragedy of youth suicide and empower every adult to play a role in protecting young lives.
Credits
Client: Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)
Agency: adam&eveDDB
Project/Campaign Name: Missed Birthdays
First Air Date: 28th
January 2025
Official Partner: ITV
Official Sponsor: Iceland Food Charity Foundation
Client: CALM
Chief Executive Officer: Simon Gunning
Marketing Director: Dipika Saggi
Delivery Lead: Elle Abu-Nimeh
Brand Marketing and Partnerships: Chloe Grass-Orkin
Fundraising Director: Emily Clayton
Delivery Lead: Pippa Rogers
Services Director:
Wendy Robinson
Head of PR and Communications: Elizabeth Charlesworth
Social Media Manager:
Emma O'Sullivan
Head of Creative Operations: Sarah McGuire
Creative Copy Lead:
Danny Wright
Content and Editorial Lead: Annabelle Letten
Performance Marketing Manager: Milly Whyman
Art Director: Sam Quinton
Graphic Designer: Georgey Lee
Agency: adam&eveDDB
Chief Creative Officer: Richard Brim
Executive Creative Director: Mike Sutherland
Executive Creative Director: Ant Nelson
Creative: Forrest Clancy
Creative: Jay Parekh
Head of Integrated Production/Producer: Nikki Cramphorn
Head of Print Production & Experiential: Jaki Jo Hannan
Assistant Producer: Catarina van Leuven
Chief Executive Officer: Miranda Hipwell
Managing Partner: Adam Patel
Business Director: Cicely Milsom
Account Director: Carrie Pollock
Chief Strategy Officer: Martin Beverley
Head of Planning: Will Grundy
Senior Planner: Jack Gilbert
Project Director: Rasha Noronha
General Counsel & Head of Sustainability: Candice Macleod
Senior Legal Council: Tom Campbell
Business Affairs Manager: Danni Rouse
DDB Europe
Creative Excellence Manager: Cassie Bodaly
Design Agency: King Henry Studios
Joint Head of Design (Lead Designer): Scott Silvey
Media Agency: the7stars
Strategy Director: Ben Edwards
Strategy Partner: Mehul Ashra
Head of Strategy: Chris Gilfoy
Client Lead: Helen Oakley
Managing Partner; Investment & Commercial: Lewis Shaw
Commercial Lead: Michelle Sarpong
PR Agency: Hope & Glory
Deputy MD: Don Ferguson
Senior Account Director: Amber Druce
Creative Director: Amy Jones
Senior Account Manager: Melissa Bristol
Senior Account Executive: Rebecca Buckby
Account Executive: Liam Sheppard
Account Executive: Ella Thompson
Public Relations & Communications Services: Persuasion Communications
Founder: Jane Austin
Account Director: Lorette Nettar
Ethical Casting Agency: Six Minutes Casting
Casting Director & Co-Founder: Josie Cole
Co-Founder: Rebecca Lloyd-Evans
Production Company: AcademyDirector: Seb Edwards
EP/Producer: Medb Riordan
EP/Producer: Georgina Smith
Production Coordinator: Mali Davies
Production Assistant: Luka Visockaite
Production Assistant: Lola Panic
Post Production Edit Company: Trim
Editor: Tom Lindsay
Editor: Josh Mannox
Executive Producer: Noreen Khan
Assistant Editor: Liv Ay
Post Production Company: TBA
Post Producer: Lily Barron
Post Producer: Mia Saunders
Online Artist: Jamie Crofts
Audio Post Production: 750mph
Audio Producer: Olivia Ray
Sound Design & Mix: Sam Ashwell
Music Supervisor: SoundTree
Head of Music / Music Supervisor: Luis Almau
Managing Director / Music Supervisor: Jay James
Track: All Things Beautiful aka The Water Song by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
If you enjoyed this article, you can subscribe for free to our weekly email alert and receive a regular curation of the best creative campaigns by creatives themselves.
Published on: