Is There Anybody Out There?

Highlighting the importance of being seen, Ella Glendining invites us on a personal journey as she sets out to find others with the same rare disability as herself.

Now a favourite on the festival circuit, Glendining’s debut feature documentary is thought-provoking and funny – a sensitive film that challenges you to stop and re-evaluate. Glendining set out to find others with the same rare disability as herself: she was born without hip joints and very short thigh bones. The film also explores the experience of being a disabled pregnant woman and the subsequent joys of parenting, and challenges the ableist world to re-view notions of ‘normal’. Using personal archives, sharing frank conversations with those around her (in particular, an autistic friend) and medical professionals, Glendining celebrates life while charting its physical and emotional challenges. Is There Anybody Out There? was made with the support of the BFI Doc Society Fund, awarding National Lottery funding.