Movember and Jordan Stephens celebrate male friendships in a new short film

When did hugging your friend get awkward? The New Bromantics, a short film from Movember, explores how male friendship has changed over time, and why it matters for men’s health.

To view the film visit movember.com/newbromantics

Movember, the leading global movement changing the face of men’s health, has today launched a new short film, in partnership with musician, presenter and mental health advocate Jordan Stephens.

The New Bromantics has been executive produced by Jordan Stephens, created and directed by BAFTA Cymru-winning Director Tom Tennant (Frontier Town, Other Life), and produced by Witness Productions and Movember.

The film brings Jordan and his friend and Rizzle Kicks band-mate Harley Alexander-Sulé together alongside real-life friends from across the UK, to talk honestly and openly about what their friendship means to them.

A surprise task is then thrown into play: the opportunity to recreate historical images of male friendship and closeness. Old photographs from the late 19t^h and early 20^th century show that it was commonplace for men to pose arm in arm, hand in hand, leaning on each other. As the friends are asked to recreate these poses, their reactions, and the funny and moving conversations that follow, reveal how physical affection and emotional openness between men have become increasingly stigmatised over time.

The inspiration for the film came from an interview Jordan did with Paul C. Brunson on his We Need to Talk podcast last year.

Jordan Stephens, Executive Producer of ‘The New Bromantics” film, said: “I had seen these old photos and chose to bring them into the conversation as part of Paul Brunson’s “We Need To Talk” podcast, because one of the biggest battles I see men facing in society now is how unbelievably restrictive and suffocating the male identity can be. I don’t think that men are unreceptive to wanting to show love.”

Nick Dunne Movember’s Director, Global Community Men’s Health Program said: “A hug shouldn’t need a punchline. These old photographs remind us that tenderness has always had a place in men’s friendships. Men don’t always have the words to express affection or tell someone what they mean to them, and this film shows how powerfully a simple gesture can do that. We haven’t lost our capacity for affection, but too often we’ve lost the permission to show it. Let’s give that back, one arm around a friend at a time.”

The New Bromantics is a light-hearted film with a serious point. Isolation and lack of social connection are a leading men’s health issue.

In the UK, men live nearly four years less than women¹ and almost 15 men will take their own life every day; Movember believes that much of this is preventable, and England’s First Men’s Health strategy identifies that strong social, community and family networks are a foundation of men’s health.

Behind the film is a serious commitment. Thanks to its community in the UK, Movember is looking to invest around £20 million across 2026–2028 to improve younger men’s mental health. The focus of this investment is on scaling what works in the places where young men already spend their time.

That means investing in scaling Movember’s mental health programme for young athletes, Ahead of the Game, which has reached over 78,000 participants in England, Wales and Scotland, with partners including Rugby League Cares and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).

It means investing in local community initiatives through programmes co-funded with the Department of Health and Social Care and People’s Health Trust, to help meet men through places they trust, in support of England’s first Men’s Health Strategy.

It means expanding Movember’s ongoing work with BLAST, Riot Games and British Esports, embedding mental health expertise into gaming and reaching younger men where they already spend time.

And it means funding research into the online world and relationships, and the forces shaping young men’s mental health today. Across all of this work, Movember is partnering with young men themselves and the organisations who already reach them online, including Beyond Equality, On The Tools, Rap Club, Sam Browne and Fight For Peace.

Tom Ellis, Movember’s Country Director UK said: “So many of the expectations around being a man, including how we do friendship, are shaped by the world around us. They can limit vulnerability and connection, and that takes a real toll on men’s health, including whether they reach out for help.

New Bromantics is a reminder that none of that is set in stone. Men can write their own rules. Movember has always been a great excuse to connect with your mates, and real connection, whether that’s sharing your worries, a hug, or an arm round the shoulder, is one of the best things we can do for our mental health, alongside getting support when we need it. This November, it starts with something simple: challenge a friend”

And taking part in Movember’s campaign makes a real difference. In Movember’s own research with its community, two in five fundraisers made a new connection through taking part, and more than eight in 10 said that taking part helped them show the men in their lives that they care².

So, how can you support Movember?

• Watch and share The New Bromantics at movember.com/newbromantics
• Message a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.
• Challenge a friend this Movember. Grow a moustache, run or walk 60km, host a get-together or Mo Your Own Way, raising much-needed funds and awareness for men’s health.

Challenge a friend. Grow together. Change men’s health. Sign up at movember.com.

Source: Movember

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