Award-winning documentary, Is There Anybody Out There? follows filmmaker Ella Glendining’s global search for someone with a body that looks like hers, and explores what it takes to love yourself fiercely as a disabled person in a non-disabled world.
To celebrate the film and its release, the ICO’s Cinema of Ideas is partnering with CRIPtic Arts and Conic to bring you a virtual screening of the film at 6:45pm on Tuesday 19 December, followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director Ella Glendining, filmmaker, writer and activist Kyla Harris (It’s Personal) and filmmaker Jim LeBrecht (Crip Camp) to discuss the provocation of “Using film to tell disabled stories” and celebrate some of the amazing work being made.
Once you purchase a ticket, you will be able to watch the film and a recorded introduction by director Ella Glendining.
Is There Anybody Out There? will be available to watch at any time from 13 – 20 December, though we encourage you to use the schedule below so that you can join the live discussion on Tuesday 19 December after watching the film.
You can keep up to date with future events on the Cinema of Ideas by joining our mailing list.
Tuesday 19 December
6:45pm – 8:15pm: Watch the recorded intro by Ella Glendining followed by Is There Anybody Out There?
8:15pm – 8:30pm: Break
8:30pm – 9:00pm: Join the live discussion with Ella Glendining, Kyla Harris and Jim LeBrecht in conversation with Jamie Hale (CRIPtic Arts)
Tickets for this event are available on a pay-what-you-can basis, so you can pay the amount that’s appropriate for you and your circumstances. See this guide for what we recommend you should pay for your ticket. Your ticket gives you access to both the discussion and the film.
£0 – £2: I find it difficult to meet everyday costs.
£4 – 6: I can meet everyday costs but sometimes find it challenging to do so.
£6 – 8: I can meet everyday costs.
£8 – 10: I can meet everyday costs comfortably and have savings.
£10+: I can meet everyday costs comfortably, have savings, and want to pay extra to help cover the cost of tickets for people who couldn’t attend otherwise.
When you pay a higher price for a ticket, you’re helping to subsidise a ticket for those on a lower income, so no one is priced out of taking part in what will be an amazing discussion! The ticket cost(s) also help contribute to paying panellists for their time as well as access providers (such as captioners and BSL interpreters).
Is There Anybody Out There? and the recorded introduction by Ella Glendining will automatically play with descriptive subtitles. Audio description is also available for Is There Anybody Out There?
The live panel discussion will be live-captioned and BSL-interpreted. The captions will automatically appear at the bottom of the screen, and a URL link to a separate page of captions will be shared in the livestream chat.
CRIPtic Arts exists to create an artistic landscape where disabled people can flourish, from connecting communities to backing breakthrough stars. Find out more about what they do on the CRIPtic Arts website.
The Independent Cinema Office’s Cinema of Ideas is an innovative platform for amplifying different stories through collaboration, discussion and film. You can keep up to date with future events on the Cinema of Ideas by joining our mailing list.
Conic is a UK/Ireland distributor that loves incredible films. www.conic.film
Groundbreaking documentary Is There Anybody Out There? follows debut feature filmmaker Ella Glendining as she goes on a journey to find someone else with a body like hers, exploring what it takes to love yourself fiercely as a disabled person in a non-disabled world.
Born with an extremely rare medical condition meaning she has – in her words – a very unusual-looking body, Glendining has always longed to meet someone who shares her disability, and her experience of the world. Ella’s search for others like her takes many unexpected turns, and is one of profound self-discovery.
Told from and a unique, searching perspective and featuring intimate personal diaries and home video footage, conversations with other disabled people and the leading specialist surgeon who ‘treats’ those with Glendining’s condition, Is There Anybody Out There? invites the viewer to ask questions and challenge assumptions they may never have considered before, spotlighting ableism, disabled parenting, and medical ethics alongside broader questions of humanity. With warmth, intelligence and passion, Glendining takes you on an unforgettable journey, one which has the power reframe the way we view an entire community.
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Release supported by
Online panel discussion + screening of Is There Anybody Out There?
6:45pm – 9:00pm, Tuesday 19 December