Why Mums Don't Jump: the student animated film breaking health taboos

Photos taken by Rosa Mulraney.

This is one of the first times that the impact of pelvic health problems after childbirth have been captured in cinematic form, and it has resonated with audiences. 

Reflecting on their time making the film, Falmouth students were supportive of Helen's mission statement with Why Mums Don't Jump: "busting taboos about leaks and lumps after childbirth". Character designer and producer Bonnie Harris expressed how passionate she was to work with Helen; "[I thought] I must work on this live brief, I don’t care what it takes, I must work with Helen!".

Sammy Reavley, who directed the film, reflected the empathy when making such a film about such a 'taboo' subject matter; “I think our main thing that we really wanted to tap into [...] was the aspect of the audience not feeling alone, or people who are going through it not feeling alone.” 

The efforts of the students were rewarded; they were interviewed on HollywoodLIVE Today by Aaron Michael Sanchez, who revealed his own personal connection to the film.

The end goal of Why Mums Don't Jump is that these events will help raise public consciousness around women’s health, reframing thinking away from ‘this is just what happens’, towards an empowered position that encourages the next generation to fight for their health and ultimately to help exhibition visitors realise that this is a public conversation it is possible to have. 

Radio interview: Michael Sanchez, Aaron (2023), La Femme International Film Festival 2023, 8 OCT 2023, (last accessed 18 December 2023).