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Disabled Britain on Film

This diverse and fascinating collection looks at representations of disabled people on screen over the past ten decades. It offers a glimpse into the lives and experiences of people often hidden from screen history, and a chance to see how contemporary disabled artists and filmmakers are insisting that their own images and voices must be seen and heard.

 

The history of disabled people in Britain has, until quite recently, been one of social exclusion and segregation. In the early 20th century, many were consigned to an institutional life of incarceration – becoming what one disabled academic dubbed 'the socially dead'. During the 1930s and early 40s, the rise of the global eugenics movement led to the mass murder of 1000s of disabled people in Nazi Germany and compulsory sterilisation in several European nations.  
After the war, the emerging charitable response to disability and the development of state-led care in the community in the 1980s eventually gave rise to the struggle for civil rights, led by disabled activists themselves. β€œNothing about us, without us” became a rallying cry.

Graham Findlay (disability equality consultant)

Please note: some titles in this collection may contain language or other content that reflect views prevalent in their time but that may cause offence today. They are included here for historical reasons and are in no way endorsed by the BFI or its partners.

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Highlights

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The EndThe End

Science Fiction 2011 24 mins

A moving speculation on the future decline of Deaf culture

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Smallest Woman in the WorldSmallest Woman in the World

News 1972 8 mins Location: Bromsgrove

Living in a world that makes no concessions for her size: Joyce Carpenter is Britain's smallest woman.

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Trapped RhythmsTrapped Rhythms

Music video 2016 4 mins

Powerful music video that demands respect for difference.

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Education of the DeafEducation of the Deaf

Documentary 1946 51 mins Location: Manchester

A brisk look at the tests and education practices for deaf people in 1940s

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ResistanceResistance

Drama 2008 13 mins

Artist-activist Liz Crow's haunting film about the Nazis' Aktion-T4 programme during World War Two. In 1939 Germany, a secret institution has sinister plans for its disabled inmates.

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Artificial Limb MakingArtificial Limb Making

Non-Fiction 1916 1 minsSilent

Occupational therapy turns full circle, as amputee soldiers learn to make artificial limbs for others

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Hands SoloHands Solo

2009 15 mins

A Deaf man becomes a world-famous porn star thanks to some advanced skill with his hands.

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Ian DuryIan Dury

Biopic 1983 52 mins

Blockheads lead singer talks about how becoming disabled has affected his life and music.

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Like Other PeopleLike Other People

Documentary 1972 51 mins

Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972

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All DayAll Day

2010 11 mins

Two single neighbours look for love in this playful rom-com exploring Deaf identity

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Special PeopleSpecial People

Comedy 2004 13 mins

Five teenagers get their own back on a manipulative filmmaker in this subversive comedy.

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Zero HourZero Hour

Charity appeal 1928 8 minsSilent

"In the kingdom of the blind, the St Dunstan's man is king": how blinded WWI soldiers set up their own businesses.

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Y Gwr O Gwr Yr AranY Gwr O Gwr Yr Aran

1978 29 mins Location: Llanuwchllyn

Teacher Frank Letch of Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd discusses his life and living with his acquired disability in this TV documentary. In Welsh with English subtitles.

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A Day in the Life of Kevin DonnellonA Day in the Life of Kevin Donnellon

1972 28 mins

An episode of World in Action documenting the life of 11 year old Kevin and how he and his family live with the effects of the drug Thalidomide.

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An Ordinary LifeAn Ordinary Life

1985 29 mins

β€œI’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain

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Rehabilitation at Roffey ParkRehabilitation at Roffey Park

Government sponsored film 1946 29 mins Location: Roffey Park (College)

Looking after the mental health of workers post-World War II – filmed in astonishing full colour.

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Invalid Carriage ProtestInvalid Carriage Protest

News 1977 2 mins Location: Solihull

Disabled motorists take on the Government and corner a Minister in the process.

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The MaskThe Mask

Documentary 2017 4 mins

Personal exploration of identity and autism, with a splash of Al Murray.

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For centuries, both disabled people and becoming disabled were viewed as a fearful burden, both to the family and to society at large. This collection reflects this underlying world view, which often switches between seeking a cure for impaired bodies and minds, and if a cure isn't found, to care for them.

Body Politic
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It's only relatively recently that disabled people began to be seen as a part of, not apart from, the communities where they live and work. This collection shows the slow shift in attitudes, as a more enlightened philosophy of 'care in the community' began gradually to replace the life sentence of being consigned to an institution.

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Beginning with caring for the returning wounded from the First World War and ending at a special school for disabled children in the early 1990s, these films exemplify how the charitable response to disability was the predominant one for many disabled people.

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Up Close and Personal

Covering three decades, this collection of personal journeys gives an insight into how disabled people were often viewed through two powerful lenses. One saw disability as a personal tragedy. The other saw disabled people as triumphing over adversity. But disabled people usually don’t conform to these stereotypes, if given the opportunity to speak for themselves.

Nothing About Us Without Us
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Nothing About Us Without Us

Driven by enhanced access to digital technology and online distribution platforms, the most recent chapter in D/deaf and disability-led filmmaking has seen an exciting range of contemporary work produced that challenges mainstream representations and puts the narrative back in the hands of the disabled community. 

More Disabled Britain on Film in our Rentals collection

More Disabled Britain on Film in our Rentals collection