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Jazz Thornton
Born (1995-03-29) 29 March 1995 (age 29)
NationalityNew Zealand, New Zealander
Alma materSouth Seas Film & Television School
Notable workStop Surviving Start Fighting
Voices of Hope

Jazz Thornton (born 29 March 1995)[1] is a New Zealand mental health activist, author, speaker, TikToker and filmmaker. Thornton co-founded a suicide prevention organisation, Voices of Hope,[2][3] with eating disorder activist Genevieve Mora.[4] Thornton has written three books: an autobiography Stop Surviving, Start Fighting,[5][6] My Journey Starts Here, a guided journal for improving well-being, and Letters to you, a book of letters to provide support, information, encouragement and tips on practical help for anyone suffering low moments. The 2020 New Zealand documentary The Girl on the Bridge deals with her struggles with mental health.[7][8][9] In the documentary, Thornton meditated on losing her friend Jess to suicide.[10]

Thornton was declared 2021 Young New Zealander of the Year.[11]

Biography

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As a teenager, Thornton attempted suicide 14 times.[12]

In 2016, as a film student, Thornton created the viral video Dear Suicidal Me, which featured people, including Thornton, who have tried to end their life. The video had more than 80 million views after being covered by international media.[13]

In 2017, Thornton's pitch for a documentary won the Doc Edge Doco Pitch competition in a panel of more than 20 industry professionals, including panelists from Australia and the US. She was the youngest ever person to win it.[14]

In 2018, Thornton met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their visit to New Zealand.[15]

In 2019, Thornton took part in the United Nations' mental health campaign Speak Your Mind and co-hosted the launch in New York.[16] In the same year, Thornton took a photo with the police officer who saved her life from a suicide attempt[17][18] and wrote an open letter to her.[19] Thornton also urged Kiwis not to be discouraged by suicide figures. "I was not hugely surprised. I was always hoping for a different number, but I think anyone working in the advocacy and mental health area knows that there is more likely to be a peak before we see the decrease of the effects of what's going on."[20] Thornton was featured in an exhibition on mental health at the London Museum of Lost and Found Potential.[21]

In 2020, Thornton wanted to search for the stranger who prevented her suicide attempt.[22][23] Queen Elizabeth II commended Thornton and Genevieve Mora for their work on Voices of Hope.[24] They were also invited by Prince William and Prince Harry to discuss their work at Buckingham Palace.[25] The New Zealand government spent $30,000 on influencers, including Thornton, to post about vocational training.[26][27]

Thornton produced the documentary Jessica's Tree on the suicide of her friend Jess.[28] It won gold in a New York film festival.[29][30][31]

In February 2021, Thornton said the Ministry of Health silences criticism about New Zealand's mental health. "The mental health system is functioning the same way that it has for so many years, which is a way that is silencing, which is a way that is discrediting of what people are going through. There are a lot of decisions being made in our Ministry [of Health] that do silence people. But my question is, what’s the danger in not talking about it?". Thornton said after the film The Girl at the Bridge was released, government-funded mental health organisations that initially supported the project backed out because they couldn't be seen endorsing something critical of the Ministry of Health.[32]

Thornton won the 2022 season of the dancing show Dancing with the Stars.[33][34]

Personal life

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In 2020, Thornton was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[35]

Thornton revealed that she was sexually abused as a three-year-old child till her teenage years and also suffered constant bullying in school.[5]

Work

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Books

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  • Thornton, Jazz (2020). Stop Surviving Start Fighting. New Zealand: Penguin Random House New Zealand Limited. ISBN 9780143774136.
  • Thornton, Jazz; Mora, Genevieve (2021). My Journey Starts Here. New Zealand: Penguin Group New Zealand, Limited. ISBN 978-0143775676.
  • Thornton, Jazz (2022). Letters to you : words of support and inspiration for difficult times. Auckland, New Zealand : Penguin Random House New Zealand. ISBN 9780143776611

Films

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Year Title Role
2005 Attitude Self
2013 Metamorphosis Actress
2017 West of Eden Actress
2017 The Kidnapping Actress
2019 Jessica's Tree Director
2020 The Girl on the Bridge Self

References

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  1. ^ Thornton, Jazz [@Jazzthornton_] (29 March 2022). "I turn 27 today ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 4 February 2024 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Lee, Jess (12 February 2014). "Website already helping". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  3. ^ Keogh, Brittany (25 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Mental health advocates' online events to combat social isolation". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  4. ^ Thornton, Jazz (8 November 2019). "More people asking for help, but we still need to do better with mental health". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Jazz Thornton: 'stop surviving, start fighting'". Newshub. 31 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  6. ^ "Stop surviving, start fighting: Jazz Thornton's suicide story saving lives". The New Zealand Herald. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  7. ^ Croot, James (23 July 2020). "The Girl on the Bridge: The sensitive and compelling Kiwi doco you need to see". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  8. ^ Paine, Hannah (8 October 2020). "Jazz Thornton: NZ suicide prevention campaigner in new documentary". News.com.au. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  9. ^ Reymer, Lisette (24 September 2020). "Documentary about New Zealand mental illness advocate Jazz Thornton to make world premiere this weekend". Newshub. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  10. ^ Lin, River (26 July 2020). "NZIFF: Mental health activist Jazz Thornton meditates on the loss of a friend to suicide in The Girl on the Bridge". 1 News. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  11. ^ Andelane, Lana (1 April 2021). "Mental health advocate Jazz Thornton wins Young New Zealander of the Year 2021". Newshub. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  12. ^ Ockhuysen, Stephanie (21 January 2020). "What it's like to have the police turn up in the midst of your mental health crisis". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Jazz Thornton made 14 suicide attempts – now she stars in a documentary to help others". The New Zealand Herald. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  14. ^ Baker, Amy (12 June 2017). "'Emotional and powerful' documentary pitch leads to youngest ever win". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  15. ^ Reed, Chris (29 October 2018). "Royals on tour: Harry and Meghan's low-key royal visit means 'today lives were saved'". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  16. ^ Van Velthooven, Emily (14 September 2019). "Kiwi mental health advocate makes suicide a global conversation at United Nations campaign". 1 News. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  17. ^ Preston, Nikki (29 April 2019). "'It's very emotional': Heartwarming photo of Jazz Thornton with police officer who saved her life". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  18. ^ Te, Mandy (2 May 2019). "Police officer 'honoured' to be part of woman's journey following suicide attempt". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Kiwi woman's open letter to the police officer who saved her life". The New Zealand Herald. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  20. ^ Hendry-Tennent, Ireland (1 September 2019). "Mental health campaigner Jazz Thornton urges Kiwis not to be discouraged by suicide figures". Newshub. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  21. ^ Molyneux, Vita (12 October 2019). "Mental health exhibition features Kiwi advocate Jazz Thornton at London museum". Newshub. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  22. ^ Keogh, Brittany (3 April 2021). "Suicide survivor Jazz Thornton searches for stranger who saved her life". Stuff. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  23. ^ "'He is a real life hero': Jazz Thornton's call to help her find the man who saved her life". The New Zealand Herald. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  24. ^ Kronast, Hannah (12 June 2020). "New Zealand mental illness advocates Voices of Hope commended by the Queen". Newshub. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  25. ^ Reed, Chris (5 April 2019). "Jessica's Tree director Jazz Thornton invited to discuss suicide video at Buckingham Place". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  26. ^ Walls, Jason (18 November 2020). "Government spends $30k on social media influencers to woo young people into trades". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Government spends $30k on social media influencers". NewstalkZB. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  28. ^ Connor, Fiona (26 March 2019). "'People die rather than ask for help' – suicide survivor". Newshub. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Herald suicide series Jessica's Tree wins gold in New York film festival". The New Zealand Herald. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  30. ^ Reed, Chris (12 March 2019). "Jessica's Tree: Jazz Thornton's story of suicide and hope has already saved lives". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  31. ^ Reed, Chris (11 May 2019). "Jessica's Tree: The inside story of a young woman's suicide and filmmaker Jazz Thornton's message about how we can all help". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Ministry of Health 'silences' criticism about NZ's mental health system — advocate". 1 News. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  33. ^ "Dancing With The Stars NZ: Full 2022 contestant line-up revealed". Newshub. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  34. ^ Writes, Emily (29 May 2022). "Dancing with the Stars 2022: Jazz Thornton takes home the gold". Stuff. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  35. ^ Thornton, Jazz. "Let's talk ADHD!". Instagram. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
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