Is There Anybody Out There?

Film title

Is There Anybody Out There?

Synopsis

At 26, Ella has learnt to love her body. The fact that she was born without hip joints and with very short thigh bones may have presented challenges, but it hasn’t stopped her from pursuing a career in filmmaking. Expecting her first child, she embarks on a journey to try and find others also born with her specific condition. She interviews her parents, compares notes with friends with invisible disabilities, researches the trends in surgery to ‘correct’ conditions like hers, and finally meets other individuals with very similar struggles and experiences, but entirely unique perspectives and personalities. This highly authentic, open, and engaging documentary, in which the young British filmmaker turns the camera on her own life with growing confidence, is masterclass in empowering self-narration. Through Ella’s story, we explore what ableism means and how it stubbornly lingers in society, but also how far we’ve come.