“Disability doesn’t need to be the defining characteristic”: UK creatives challenge representation on screen

The need for the screen industry to resist the creatives of pigeon holling, who lives with disabilities, was a key topic at the Cannes UK Pavilion event on May 17th.

Abbie Hills, one of the UK’s first trained access coordinators, founder of writers and actors, and founder of Dazey Hills Company, said: “Having a character with disabilities or disabilities doesn’t have to be a critical feature.

“When I’m writing a character, I don’t specify too much of a degree what the disability or condition is. I leave room for performers to fill it,” says playwright, writer and filmmaker Matilda Feiibini, including credits that include a BAFTA-nominated short-form series. Cryptal. She is currently working on her debut feature. This is a comedy horror about a disabled woman who finds the perfect caregiver who turns out to be a serial killer. “I want to be able to cast many different types of disabled performers into my work.”

“The biggest problem we’re talking about the structure of a story is often the people who don’t have disabilities, and writers think that the obstacles themselves are struggles,” added Dutch filmmaker Mari Sanders. “But that’s just an extra identity for the character.”

Sanders produces in advance about his first function, Please stand up, With support from the Dutch Film Fund, it will focus on two wheelchair users with very different living experiences, scheduled to begin filming in September. His project was the first to receive top-up funding from the Dutch Film Fund to make the set more accessible. “I’m honored to have created the first feature that’s included,” Sanders explained.

He said the fund was inspired by the work of BFI to introduce this structure. “I know there’s a lot to do when it comes to accessibility, but the rest of the world is learning from you (BFI),” he said.

FeyiṣayọIbini also spoke to creatives who live with disabilities about the additional expectations that will be added to them as their authority on disability and accessibility during sets.

“In many cases, filmmakers with disabilities are expected to take on the effort of educating everyone,” she said. “To be honest, in my experience of exhaustion, I have appeared, I work here, I’m here to work, the last thing I want to do is explain to someone the social model of disability, or explain why I’m here.

“Yes, many of the deaf, disabled, and neurological collaborators I work with are aware of a lot of things. I know that is part of our job. We have to educate. But we are not academics and two or teachers.

When asked by the audience why obstacles are the most forgotten form of the screen industry, Feiishi Ibini said: Spend time again in British politics. ”