Lights, camera and Oscars at Ilkley charity
A new film about independent living, made with and for adults with a learning disability, recently had its first public showing at a packed event held at Outside the Box in Ilkley.
Titled ‘ I Can, You Can, We Can’, the film featured people with a learning disability who are living in their own homes, supported by the charity’s services.
The audience included those starring in the film, their family members, support staff and other parents and carers interested in finding out more about supported independent living for their loved ones.
John Thirwell, a father of one of the film stars has said “Speaking as a father, one of the first things we wanted to do for our son was give him a voice and confidence in his life. Euan is remarkable with his communication skills and it was really nice to see that he is listened to and is being showcased within this film”
“This was a first for us so we were understandably a little nervous about both making and showing the film”, says Anne Pears, Service Manager. ‘However we needn’t have worried as all our clients did a fantastic job on their parts of the film, our production and support teams worked wonders and everyone at the event told us how delighted and moved they were by the film. It really does show how much can be achieved by our client community with the right support in place. We hope that lots more people will be inspired when they watch it and that it helps dispel the myths and misperceptions about what people with a learning disability can do.”
Also featured on the charities website and YouTube, here is a shortened version of the film.
The soundtrack for the film was provided by one of film’s stars, Richard, who is a talented guitar player and Lauren Southgate, who is a neurodivergent photographer and filmmaker, worked with the charity on the making of the film.
After the screening, and as a thank you for sharing their stories and welcoming the filmmakers into their homes, each of the people appearing in the film was presented with their own engraved ‘film star’ Oscar style statuette.
“It was great to be filmed. It wasn’t too scary. We have put our Oscars in the living room.” Mark Ball, one of the film stars has said.
Another, Emily Moorhouse, said “I really enjoyed taking part in the filming and showing how I had decorated my bedroom. My favourite part was showing me and Imogen living together; we’ve known each other for nine years!”
Further information about the charity is available on the website: https://carersandcompanions.co.uk/independent-living-support/
