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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. “Nothing 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.
Highlights
Smallest Woman in the WorldSmallest Woman in the World
News19728 mins Location: Bromsgrove
Living in a world that makes no concessions for her size: Joyce Carpenter is Britain's smallest woman.
Trapped RhythmsTrapped Rhythms
Music video20164 mins
Powerful music video that demands respect for difference.
Education of the DeafEducation of the Deaf
Documentary194651 mins Location: Manchester
A brisk look at the tests and education practices for deaf people in 1940s
ResistanceResistance
Drama200813 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.
Artificial Limb MakingArtificial Limb Making
Non-Fiction19161 mins
Occupational therapy turns full circle, as amputee soldiers learn to make artificial limbs for others
Hands SoloHands Solo
200915 mins
A Deaf man becomes a world-famous porn star thanks to some advanced skill with his hands.
Ian DuryIan Dury
Biopic198352 mins
Blockheads lead singer talks about how becoming disabled has affected his life and music.
Like Other PeopleLike Other People
Documentary197251 mins
Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972
All DayAll Day
201011 mins
Two single neighbours look for love in this playful rom-com exploring Deaf identity
Special PeopleSpecial People
Comedy200413 mins
Five teenagers get their own back on a manipulative filmmaker in this subversive comedy.
Zero HourZero Hour
Charity appeal19288 minsSilent
"In the kingdom of the blind, the St Dunstan's man is king": how blinded WWI soldiers set up their own businesses.
Y Gwr O Gwr Yr AranY Gwr O Gwr Yr Aran
197829 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.
A Day in the Life of Kevin DonnellonA Day in the Life of Kevin Donnellon
197228 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.
An Ordinary LifeAn Ordinary Life
198529 mins
“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain
Rehabilitation at Roffey ParkRehabilitation at Roffey Park
194629 mins Location: Roffey Park (College)
The treatment of World War II Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – filmed, astonishingly, in full colour.
Invalid Carriage ProtestInvalid Carriage Protest
News19772 mins Location: Solihull
Disabled motorists take on the Government and corner a Minister in the process.
The MaskThe Mask
Documentary20174 mins
Personal exploration of identity and autism, with a splash of Al Murray.
Explore further
Care or Cure?
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
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.
Fundraising and Charity
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.
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
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