Having problems with message search?
Flesh And Blood, which challenges audience with the provocative tagline: "Who You Really Are Can Be Hard To Face" tells the story of a man whose world is turned upside down after discovering his birth parents are developmentally disabled.
Adopted at birth, Joe Broughton (Christopher Eccleston, of NBC's Heroes and BBC's immensely popular Doctor Who revival) is consumed by an obsessive desire to trace his birth parents after his daughter Marie is born.
When Joe discovers his mother and father were once patients at a mental hospital, and are unaware they have a child, everyone's world is transformed -- and not easily. For Joe and his wife Cath (Emma Cunniffe), the discovery is the beginning of a rollercoaster ride which challenges not only preconceptions about disability, but also Joe's sense of identity.
Eccleston is excellent in the lead role, and the script by Peter Bowker, who both won the Royal Television Society Awards for Flesh & Blood in 2003, are top notch. Bowker spent 12 years as a special education teacher before becoming a full-time writer and his experience with, and understanding of, disability serves the production well. Unlike any film disTHIS! has ever screened (or is even aware of) the film directly and sensitively addresses often ignored issues of identity and sexual intimacy among people with developmental disabilities.
In addition to a highly celebrated script, Flesh and Blood also sets itself apart by ambitious casting. The key roles of Joe’s birth mother and father – Janet and Harry – are played by Dorothy Cockin and Peter Kirby, who themselves are developmentally disabled. Cockin and Kirby were cast after an extensive search among people with developmental disabilities in the northwest of England. This far exceeds efforts normally undertaken by either the U.S. or British TV and film industries and the commitment to authenticity pays off handsomely.
Awards & Recognitions
-- Prix Europa, Best TV Fiction, (2003)
-- RTS Television Awards (2003)
Best Actor (Christopher Eccleston)
Best Writer (Peter Bowker)
-- BAFTA TV Award (Nominated), Best Single Drama (2003)
Don't miss our popular audience "talkback" following the screening!
Running Time: 76 Minutes
Director: Julian Farino
Time: 6:30 to 10pm. Screening starts @ 7pm
The disTHIS! Film Series, a project of the Disabilities Network of NYC in association with DCTV, is a monthly showcase of festival quality independent and international short, documentary and feature films with disability themes audiences are unlikely to see elsewhere. disTHIS! movies are always provocative; never quite what you’d expect. The Tribeca Trib, New York Nonprofit Press, the NY Times Style Section and Disabilty Studies Quartely all agree: No handkerchief necessary, no heroism required. disTHIS! is disability through a whole new lens. We are made possible by the generous support of The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, members of the Disabilites Network of NYC and our audiences.
Offline 
Send Email