Autistic director wants change in the film industry

The film Typical? was adapted from the play "I’m Non-Typical, Typical" by Matthew Hunt

An award-winning autistic film-maker said she wanted to make sure there were "no barriers" to anyone who is disabled or neurodivergent to work in the film and television industry.

Last month Sarah Leigh, from Stevenage, won the Royal Television Society East award for directing for her film, Typical?.

The film explores and challenges the way the world labels and discriminates against disabled people.

Ms Leigh, who also has ADHD and has an autistic and disabled child, said: "If we don't hear how other people live and get an insight into that, then things aren't going to change."

Sarah Leigh was presented with her Royal Television Society East award at Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge

The mother-of-two has worked within the film and television industry for about 20 years, and has an acting role in the latest season of the ITV drama, Grace, starring John Simm.

In 2022 she founded her film company, Inclusivity Films, and said that "at least 50% of our cast and crew identify as deaf, disabled and/or neurodiverse on every production".

She said she was passionate about giving a voice to "a community we don't often hear from".

"We make sure our sets are equitable, and they don't have any barriers to be able to work on our film.

"Representation on screen and off screen is extremely important, if we don't hear how other people live and get an insight into that then things aren't going to change."

In 2022 Sarah Leigh founded Inclusivity Films

The film Typical? was adapted from a successful Edinburgh fringe theatre show called "I’m Non Typical, Typical" by Matthew Hunt.

The film-maker said: "There are so many barriers within society for disabled people that we wanted to highlight those and perhaps offer some solutions as to what people can do differently, we all want to be treated the same."

She said that using the right dialogue was important, so she workshopped language with the actors.

"We were using verbatim dialogue - [I asked the actors] what is it you want society to know about how you're treated and how you feel."

She added that some lines in the film were also from real-life scenarios that she had with professionals, when they said "not very nice things in front of my son".

"Cinema has the power to make change and that's something we wanted to do with Typical?," Ms Leigh added.

Ms Leigh says she is passionate about giving a voice to "a community we don't often hear from"