A FILMMAKER is fundraising for a non-profit film about dealing with depression and chronic anxiety.

Joao David Nogueira’s film A Song of the Anxious looks at the daily struggles of a young artist and performer who suffers from an anxiety disorder.

The film will be made available for free for others with mental illness.

Mr Nogueira, from Brighton, is trying to raise the £22,000 needed to produce the film on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, and must reach his target by April 12.

He said: “The purpose was, and is, very simple. I don’t want anyone to go through what I went to with my depression and anxiety alone.

“I am giving them a voice; for people who cannot have a voice because of their personal state, their mental health issues, and the stigma surrounding it.”

A Song of The Anxious follows Katherine, a young busker who suffers from general anxiety disorder and panic attacks and overcomes it through her music.

Mr Nogueira said: “Katherine is a mix of the artistic side of a musician, and also some of my own being and personality, and things that I have been through.”

She will be played by Bulgarian-born actress Devora Wilde, and the film will also feature Max Cavenham, whose acting experience includes roles in Broadchurch, Eastenders and Downton Abbey.

Mr Nogueira’s first film, The I in-between the Us, about a ballet dancer on a journey of self-discovery, was released online in January.

He hopes that A Song of the Anxious will spark conversations about mental illness and help break some of the stigma surrounding mental health.

He said: “People need to listen and be listened to, and people need to talk and ask for help. That is the first step, and sometimes it is very hard to do, even impossible.

If it is successfully funded, A Song of the Anxious will be released later this year. The film is supported by mental health charities including the Mental Health Foundation and Anxiety UK.