Out now
Is There Anybody Out There?
UK 2023 / Dir: Ella Glendining / English / 87 mins / 12A
Award-winning documentary, Is There Anybody Out There? follows filmmaker Ella Glendining’s global search for someone with a body that looks like hers, and explores what it takes to love yourself fiercely as a disabled person in a non-disabled world.
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Watch at home
All On Demand players have optional SDH subtitles.
Screenings
The film is presented with English subtitles, including descriptions of non-dialogue audio as standard in cinemas. Audio Description is made available whenever possible. Check access provisions and details of relaxed screenings with your local cinema.
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Hastings Electric Palace - from 16 May
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Aberdeen VUE Aberdeen - 15 & 29 November
Accrington VUE Accrington - 15 & 29 November
Barrow-in-Furness VUE Barrow - 15 & 29 November
Basingstoke VUE Basingstoke - 15 & 29 November
Bedford VUE Bedford - 15 & 29 November
▇ Belfast Queen’s Film Theatre - 26 November (Northern Ireland Screen and Reclaim the Frame host a Filmmaker Circle with director Ella Glendining) followed by the screening at QFT (listed below)
▇ Belfast Queen’s Film Theatre - 26 November (Q&A screening with director Ella Glendining in partnership with Reclaim the Frame) - AD / SDH / Relaxed screening / live captioning
Bicester VUE Bicester - 15 & 29 November
Birkenhead VUE Birkenhead - 15 & 29 November
Birmingham VUE Star City - 15 & 29 November
▇ Birmingham Midlands Arts Centre - 15 November (preview screening in partnership with Reclaim the Frame)
Blackburn VUE Blackburn - 15 & 29 November
Bolton VUE Bolton - 15 & 29 November
Bristol VUE Bristol Cribbs - 15 & 29 November
▇ Brighton Duke’s at Komedia - 19 November (Reclaim the Frame Q&A preview event with director Ella Glendining)
Bristol VUE Longwell Green - 15 & 29 November
Bromley VUE Bromley - 15 & 29 November
Bury VUE Bury the Rock - 15 & 29 November
Bury St. Edmunds Abbeygate Cinema - 2 January
▇ Bath FilmBath Festival - 22 October
Camberley VUE Camberley - 15 & 29 November
Cambridge VUE Cambridge - 15 & 29 November
Canterbury Curzon Canterbury Westgate - 29 November
Cardiff VUE Cardiff - 15 & 29 November
Cardiff Chapter Arts Centre - from 29 December
Carlisle VUE Carlisle - 15 & 29 November
Carmarthen VUE Carmarthen - 15 & 29 November
Colchester Curzon Colchester - 29 November
Colchester Firstsite - 15 December
Cwmbran VUE Cwmbran - 15 & 29 November
Chester Storyhouse - from 25 November
▇ Cork Cork International Film Festival - 24 November (Documentary Gala with director Ella Glendining in attendance, plus Ella is giving the Doc Day Keynote)
Dagenham VUE Dagenham - 15 & 29 November
Darlington VUE Darlington - 15 & 29 November
Doncaster VUE Doncaster - 15 & 29 November
Dundee Dundee Contemporary Arts - from 11 December
Eastbourne Towner Gallery - 16 February
Eastleigh VUE Eastleigh - 15 & 29 November
▇ Edinburgh Edinburgh International Film Festival - 19-20 August
Edinburgh VUE Edinburgh Ocean - 15 & 29 November
Edinburgh VUE Edinburgh Omni - 15 & 29 November
Eltham VUE Eltham - 15 & 29 November
Exeter Exeter Pheonix - from 24 November
Exeter VUE Exeter - 15 & 29 November
▇ Falmouth Cornwall Film Festival - 9 November
▇ Folkestone Folkestone Documentary Festival - 21 October
Farmborough VUE Farmborough - 15 & 29 November
▇ Glasgow GMAC (Scottish Documentary Institute and Reclaim the Frame host a Filmmaker Circle with director Ella Glendining) - 23 November
▇ Glasgow Glasgow Film Theatre (Q&A screening with director Ella Glendining in partnership with Reclaim the Frame) - 23 November
Halifax VUE Halifax - 15 & 29 November
Hamilton VUE Hamilton - 15 & 29 November
Harrow VUE Harrow - 15 & 29 November
Hartlepool VUE Hartlepool - 15 & 29 November
Hexham Forum Cinema - 26 November
Hull VUE Hull - 15 & 29 November
▇ Inverness Inverness Film Festival - 7 November
Inverness VUE Inverness - 15 & 29 November
Lancaster VUE Lancaster - 15 & 29 November
Leamington Spa VUE Leamington Spa - 15 & 29 November
▇ Leeds Hyde Park Picture House (preview screening in partnership with Reclaim the Frame) - 16 November
Leeds VUE Leeds Kirkstall - 15 & 29 November
Leeds VUE Leeds Light - 15 & 29 November
Leicester Phoenix Cinema - from 16 January
Leicester VUE Leicester - 15 & 29 November
▇ Lewes Depot - 16 December (followed by a Q&A with director Ella Glendining and cinematographer Annemarie Lean-Vercoe)
Livingston VUE Livingston - 15 & 29 November
London Barbican - from 17 November
London Bertha DocHouse - from 25 November
▇ London BFI Southbank - 11 November (+ Q&A with director Ella Glendining hosted by Jack Thorne)
London BFI Southbank - from 17 November
▇ London Curzon Aldgate - 12 November (Reclaim the Frame Q&A preview screening with director Ella Glendining)
London Curzon Aldgate - 29 November
London Curzon Camden - from 17 November
London VUE Croyden Grants - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Croyden Purley Way - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Finchley North - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Finchley Road - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Fulham Broadway - 15 & 29 November
▇ London The Garden Cinema - 18 November (relaxed screening + discussion)
London The Garden Cinema - from 17 November
London Genesis - 6 December
London VUE Islington - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Shephards Bush - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Staines - 15 & 29 November
London VUE West End - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Westfield - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Westfield Stratford - 15 & 29 November
London VUE Wood Green - 15 & 29 November
Manchester VUE Altrincham - 15 & 29 November
Manchester VUE Manchester Printworks - 15 & 29 November
Manchester VUE Manchester Red - 15 & 29 November
Merthyr VUE Merthyr - 15 & 29 November
Manchester HOME Manchester - from 17 November
Newbury VUE Newbury - 15 & 29 November
Newcastle VUE Gateshead - 15 & 29 November
Newcastle VUE Newcastle UL - 15 & 29 November
Newcastle Tyneside Cinema - from 24 November
▇ Norfolk The Autumn Festival of Norfolk - 17 September
Northampton VUE Northampton - 15 & 29 November
Northampton Northampton Filmhouse - from 28 November
Norwich VUE Norwich - 15 & 29 November
▇ Norwich Norwich Film Festival - 13 November (festival screening + Q&A with director Ella Glendining)
▇ Nottingham Broadway - 14 November (preview screening with intro from Mia Bays, director of BFI Film Fund)
Nottingham Broadway - from 17 November
Oxford VUE Oxford - 15 & 29 November
Plough Plough Arts Centre - 31 January
Plymouth VUE Plymouth - 15 & 29 November
Portsmouth VUE Portsmouth - 15 & 29 November
Preston VUE Preston - 15 & 29 November
Portsmouth No.6 Cinema - 23 November
Reading VUE Reading - 15 & 29 November
Redditch VUE Redditch - 15 & 29 November
Rhyl VUE Rhyl - 15 & 29 November
Romford VUE Romford - 15 & 29 November
Scunthorpe VUE Scunthorpe - 15 & 29 November
Sheffield VUE Sheffield - 15 & 29 November
▇ Sheffield Sheffield Doc Fest - 17 June
Sheffield Showroom Workstation - from 17 November
Southport VUE Southport - 15 & 29 November
▇ Southampton Southampton Film Week - 18 November
▇ Stirling Central Scotland Documentary Festival - 5 November
Stirling VUE Stirling - 15 & 29 November
Stockton-on-Tees Arc Cinema - from 17 February
Stroud VUE Stroud - 15 & 29 November
Swansea VUE Swansea - 15 & 29 November
Thanet VUE Thanet - 15 & 29 November
Thurrock VUE Thurrock - 15 & 29 November
Torbay VUE Torbay - 15 & 29 November
Torrington The Plough Arts Centre - 31 January
▇ Virtual event Using Film to Tell Disabled Stories - 19 December
Waterfoot Horse & Bamboo Theatre - 12 March
Watford VUE Watford - 15 & 29 November
Worchester VUE Worcester - 15 & 29 November
York VUE York - 15 & 29 November
Reviews
“Quite simply one of the best first-person documentaries about disability ever”
— The Curb
“Like 2020 Sundance breakout Crip Camp, Glendining’s film is a well argued and moving reminder that we still live in a world where too many see disability as something that needs to be ‘fixed’ rather than more willingly accommodated.”
— Screen International
“A real celebration of humanity in all its diversity”
— Filmmaker Magazine
“An education is what Glendining offers” ★★★★
— The Guardian
“Incredibly moving” ★★★★★
— Outtake Magazine
“Weaving together interviews, home movies and video diaries, this is a body-positive, life- affirming film” ★★★★
— Total Film
“Warm-hearted, richly informative” ★★★★
— The Sunday Times
“Utterly compelling” ★★★★★
— The Wee Review
Awards
Winner FIPRESCI Prize, International Documentary
Winner Silver Horn, Best Film on Social Issues, Krakow Film Festival 2023
British Independent Film Awards 2023
Nominated for Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary
Nominated for The Raindance Maverick Award
Winner BFI and Chanel Filmmaker Award 2023
The judges say: “What radiates from Ella’s work is attitude, something she has channelled to great effect into the fantastic Is There Anybody Out There? An important film for many reasons and so unique, but also quite simply a story brilliantly told and a debut feature beautifully executed.”
BAFTA Breakthrough 2023
BAFTA Outstanding Debut Nominee Film 2024
Resources
To engage more fully with the themes brought up in Is There Anyone Out There? Please see the resources below. These are equally for audience members, advocates and filmmakers.
Get involved
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You can screen Is There Anybody Out There? for your organisation, community group or network. For bookings please email hello@conic.film. For screenings not in cinemas in the UK, the film can also be booked through Cinema for All. Any questions, please get in touch.
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We have links with various organisations across the UK and Ireland for schools screenings. Please get in touch with hello@conic.film with details.
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You can help spread the word about the film in your networks using this grassroots marketing kit and assets. Any questions, or if you’d like to do more, please contact hello@conic.film
"I want this film to reach as wide an audience as possible. I want it to humanise disabled people. I hope its non-disabled audience will question the way they think about and interact with disabled people, and for them to be less ableist as a result. And I want it to be a beacon of light for disabled people who are angry and sad. But this film is not just for disabled people, it is for anyone who’s ever been made to feel ‘other’. As well as being a condemnation of ableism, ‘Is There Anybody Out There?’ is a celebration of the resilience of the disabled community and of humanity in all its diversity. It is about disabled kinship and disabled pride. It is my love letter to the disability community and its allies. I hope it will be groundbreaking."
Is There Anybody Out There? director Ella Glendining