By Nadine Whitney
Slamdance Film Festival is kind of a big deal. How big a deal you ask? Let’s just take a look at some of the people who got their start there. Alumni who have shown their early short films and debut features at Slamdance include Bong Joon Ho, Rian Johnson, Ari Aster, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Jon M. Chu, Lynn Shelton, and Christopher Nolan.
So, for independent Australian documentary short Inspire ME, a film examining the concept of “inspiration porn,” to have its international premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 20 in Park City and January 25 in Salt Lake City, is breaking all kinds of barriers. The film was created by Australian filmmakers Rowan Devereux (producer) and Sophie Saville (director), with comedian Madeleine Stewart in the dual role of writer and star.
Inspire ME follows Stewart as she sets out to become the most inspirational disabled person ever. The film was produced through the Screen NSW Screenability Filmmaker Fund, which supports filmmakers with disabilities in the screen industry, and made its debut at the Sydney Film Festival in 2022.
Madeleine Stewart on the selection: “I am incredibly honoured to be invited to the US to screen Inspire ME at Slamdance Film Festival. When we were interviewing questionable individuals in a park in exchange for beer, we had no idea the reach our little indie film would have! I’m so excited to share my journey with a whole new group of people. I hope that our audience is inspired to re-examine their views of disability while also having a good laugh along the way!”