Global Health Film Classics: Magic Medicine | Global Health Film

Magic Medicine (2018)

Directed by Monty Wates, 79 mins

Sunday 02 August 2020 19:00 BST plus panel discussion

Can magic mushrooms cure depression?

Over four years, filmmaker Monty Wates was given exclusive access to the first ever medical trial to give psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms) to a group of volunteers suffering from clinical depression. 

His remarkable film follows three of the volunteers and their families, and the ambitious staff running the trial, who are hoping this controversial treatment will have the power to transform millions of lives. 

With deeply moving footage of the “trips” the patients go on, this intimate film is an absorbing portrait of the human cost of depression, and the inspirational people contributing to groundbreaking psychedelic research.

Carol Nahra ran a Q&A with Dave King, from the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group on Sunday evening; Monty Wates, the director of Magic Medicine was unable to join due to connectivity issues, so we ran a separate Q&A with him on Monday morning - both of these can be found further down the page, after the trailer.

Magic Medicine featured in the 2018 Global Health Film Festival

Magic Medicine website

Q&A with Dave King, Sunday 02 August


Q&A with Monty Wates, Monday 03 August


This screening is organised in partnership with Dartmouth Films.

Each screening costs just under £1,000 for us to organise. We are grateful for any donation you are able to make to help cover our costs; you can make a donation securely using this link

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Magic Medicine: additional resources

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Global Health Film is registered in England and Wales under charity number 1179829 and company number 10436509. Registered address: 10 Queen Street Place, London, EC4R 1BE
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