Back to Back Theatre (Australia)
SHADOW
Film
Simon, Scott and Sarah, a trio of activists with intellectual disabilities, hold a town hall meeting about the future impacts of artificial intelligence. Simon, considering himself a saviour for the community, quickly appoints himself the mayor, and Scott reluctantly steps into the role of facilitator, but soon becomes enamoured with his own power and begins to dismiss the experiences of others. Sarah, often overlooked and underestimated by her counterparts, explodes, confronting the self-appointed leaders on their inadequacies. What begins as a polite discussion quickly descends into bickering and chaos, seemingly provoked by a force within. Sarah acts to unite the group, only to realise the battle to get their message across may be lost already.
Australia’s internationally acclaimed Back to Back Theatre, a professional theatre company with an ensemble of actors with disabilities at its core, has produced its debut feature-length film, “Shadow”. Film is based on their award-winning stage play “The Shadow Whose Prey The Hunter Becomes” (2019).
Director Bruce Gladwin: “”Shadow” uses a combination of dramatic and documentary-style elements to tell the story of a group of activists who hold a public meeting only to discover their own prejudices are their biggest obstacles to saving the world.
As artists we are seeking alternative models of story creation and screen production. Created over two and a half years through conversation and improvisation, the performers are also the co-authors, 95% of the people on screen are people with disabilities, and the majority of the crew roles are fulfilled by interns who identify as people with disabilities supported by professional mentors.
This is community filmmaking.”
The Back to Back Theatre company, the pioneer of renewal in Australian theatre and one of the companies best known around the world for making disability a tool of artistic inquiry, is the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 52nd Biennale Teatro 2024 (Venice).
Sat 6.07 15:00 Kinosaal BUY TICKET
Sat 6.07 21:30 Kinosaal BUY TICKET
Duration: 56 min
The film is in English with Estonian subtitles.
Director Bruce Gladwin; Screenplay Michael Chan, Mark Deans, Bruce Gladwin, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Sonia Teuben; Producer Alice Fleming; Director of Photography and Editor Rhian Hinkley; Musical Composition Luke Howard Trio (Luke Howard, Daniel Farrugia, Jonathan Zion); Art Director Tao Weis; Costume Designer Shio Otani; Associate Producer Meret Hassanen; Assistant Producer Pippa Wright; Executive Producers Bruce Gladwin, Tim Stitz.
SHADOW was funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, the City of Greater Geelong through the Arts & Culture Department’s Arts Industry Commissions Program in partnership with UNESCO Creative City of Design, with additional support from Give Where You Live and the Une Parkinson Foundation. SHADOW was supported by Screen Australia through the COVID-19 Budget Support Fund Program.
