By Shweta Ghosh
At a time of ever-increasing media access, anyone who wants to make a film should be able to make one. But what happens when you are assumed to be incapable or ‘difficult’ to work with, or need adjustments to make the creative process accessible?
Set across three cities in India, We Make Film explores the creative journeys of d/Deaf and disabled filmmakers Anuja Sankhe (Virar, Maharashtra), Debopriya Ghosh (Kolkata, West Bengal) and Mijo Jose (Irinjalakuda, Kerala). Many barriers stand in their way. While some battles are won, sometimes a dream must be given up altogether due to inaccessible environments, exclusionary production practices or barriers to film education. During the workshops, Shweta too begins to reflect on her privileges, and revisits the lifelong creative collaborations she has had with her disabled father.
At the intersection of the four filmmakers’ experiences lies We Make Film, a documentary that rethinks accessibility, allyship and collaboration in filmmaking today, and dreams of an inclusive creative future for all of us.