Filmmaker Statement

I am incredibly passionate about accessibility for members of disabled communities, having used to work as Special Educational Needs teaching assistant in a primary school and as a play worker for a deaf charity. Equal opportunities and people feeling recognised by the film & tv business is something close to my heart. We’ve seen some milestone moments in how film and television represents disabled communities in recent times, from deaf Eastenders actor, Rose Ayling-Ellis winning Strictly Come Dancing, to an intimate scene between Maeve and wheelchair-user, Issac, in Sex Education, and of course, CODA winning the Oscar for best picture. Progress is being made to represent disabled actors, characters and stories, but we must push beyond this series of firsts and make it a normal occurrence to see a disabled person on the small and silver screen. By doing this, and ensuring representation is accurate and authentic, we too can contribute to truthfully reflecting the diverse world we live in and allow people to feel seen. In Picturesque, being blind is just one part of Mills’ identity. She’s clever, poetic, queer and like most young people, struggling to navigate a relationship. This is not a film about fixing a person, it’s about fixing a relationship. In other words, two people discover how to embrace love and disability and reveal to each other how they experience the world.