Ella Glendining, touring the festival circuit with her documentary Is There Anybody Out There?, is now at first-draft script stage on her fiction feature debut, Curiosities Of Fools. Janine Marmot of Hot Property Films, who she also worked with on the doc, is producing and the project has funding from the BFI Film Fund.
Glendining, a 2020 Screen Star of Tomorrow, says: “It’s period drama about the life of a court dwarf in the 1600s. It’s about his journey to overcome his internalised ableism and finding community within the confines of the palace.”
Curiosities Of Fools is inspired by a “painter named Richard Gibson [1615-1690], in the court of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, it’s very loosely based on him but I’m really playing with history,” the writer/director says. “There’s not a lot of writing about Richard himself, but there were other court dwarves who were famous. I did a lot of research and then picked and chose the bits that felt right for this story. I’m certainly commenting on ableism.”
She says the tone is a heartfelt drama with “a big emotional arc” but “it also has some dark comedy.”
Glendining adds she is “very excited about casting… there are so many incredible disabled actors out there, some are very successful but there are far more who just haven’t had the opportunities yet.” She’s inspired by an inclusive theatre group, Total Ensemble Theatre Company, that she used to act with – “this comradeship within this group of outsiders is part of where I drew inspiration from for this story.”
She has also recently written and co-directed with Jessi Gutch a new short called Pyramid of Disunion, which Film4 will launch later in 2023. “Again, that’s something very different, it’s a short film about a young woman who joins an eco-commune to try and get over an ex. And it’s a comedy and I star in it.” Justin Edgar produced the short, which is part of Film4’s 4Love shorts collection.
In addition to writing and directing and acting, Glendining also works as an access coordinator and has been working with Kyla Harris on her new comedy/drama for BBC, entitled We Might Regret This.
Glendining and Marmot are also developing a new music-related feature documentary idea.
Edinburgh screenings
Glendining is presenting Is There Anybody Out There? at Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) on Saturday and Sunday – the festival is presenting the film in partnership with Reclaim the Frame and the Q&A will be moderated by access consultant Charlotte Little.
Is There Anybody Out There?, sold by Autlook, is a personal documentary about her search to track down other individuals with the same rare disability she has; it also chronicles her unexpected journey becoming a mother. The documentary was supported by y BFI Doc Society, Chicken and Egg Pictures and Creative Scotland
After its world premiere at Sundance, the film has also played at Sheffield DocFest, SXSW, Thessaloniki, CPH:DOX and Hot Docs.
Glendining says: “The response has been beyond my wildest dreams. Speaking to people after screenings has blown me away. I feel really humbled, and I’m also so happy that people ‘get it’. And the response from the disabled community has been so affirming. People have told me that it’s spoken to them like no other film about disability.”
She continues: “Making this film has really built up my confidence as a director, and as a storyteller. I’m very grateful for the people that I’ve been collaborating with.”
Conic will release the film day-and-date in the UK and Ireland on Nov 17, and will also host preview screenings, some also in partnership with Reclaim the Frame. BFI Doc Society is supporting the release and filmmaker/activist/writer Kyla Harris will consult on the release’s impact strategy.
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