Ella Glendining’s Disability Doc ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ Trailer
by Alex Billington
May 15, 2023
Source: YouTube
“I love & respect my body. Being this way is not the problem. It’s what you do next that matters.” Madman Films in Australia has unveiled a new official trailer for a documentary film titled Is There Anybody Out There?, made by filmmaker Ella Glendining. This premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It also played at SXSW & Hot Docs in the spring. While navigating daily discrimination, a director who inhabits and loves her unusual body searches the world for another person like her, and explores what it takes to love oneself fiercely despite the pervasiveness of ableism. Sundance adds this intro: “Are people born this way to be “fixed” by medicine? Is it ableist to see disabled people as living an undesired existence? With warmth and an infectious joy for her body and life as it is, Glendining takes you on an unforgettable experience that will change how you see others, like and unlike you.” It is an important and empowering film digging deep into a personal experience to help us all understand more about the disabled perspective.
Here’s the first trailer (+ poster) for Ella Glendining’s doc Is There Anybody Out There?, on YouTube:
Intro from the director: “My body is extremely unusual, and I’ve never seen another like my own. Is There Anybody Out There? is a personal documentary following my search to track down other individuals with the same rare disability as me. The film also explores the experience of being a disabled pregnant woman as well as the emotional process of becoming a mother, when I unexpectedly find out that I am pregnant. Perhaps more than anything however, this story is about ableism – about living in a world where you’re seen as less than human – and what it takes to love yourself fiercely despite this.” Is There Anybody Out There? is directed by filmmaker Ella Glendining, making her feature directorial debut after a few other short films previously. This initially premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. There’s still no US release date yet – stay tuned. This trailer is for the Australian release in 2023. Anyone curious?
