I’m probably just trying to reinvent the wheel, due to my own ignorance of the area. I was wondering recently whether a filmic equivalent of the paraorchestra exits – a place for disabled film-makers to show off their talent, just as the paraorchestra did with music. If not, could one be created? The world of disability is becoming increasingly relevant, especially after last year: a para-film group might be just what is needed. Of course, even the briefest of searches would show you how vast the area of disability film now is. Today I came across this Australian disability film competition (check out some of the entries – there is some impressive work on that site). Yet I found competitions and festivals, but no dedicated disability film companies.

Of course you could ask why one is needed. Why pigeon-hole onesself when we should be aiming for the mainstream? Such questions could just as validly be levelled at any disability-based organisation: we have a vibrant culture worthy of celebration. We crips have stories to tell, and many are already telling them; but what I think we need is some sort of organisation to facilitate that telling.

What that organisation will look like I do not know. All I know is I want to make film. There is clearly ample disabled film-making talent Out there: perhaps what we need to do is collect it together in one official, structured body, raise funds and show the world what ‘we’ can do.