Case Study: Desire on Screen – Not Without Disability with Lotte Sweeney & Maiah Stewardson

When it comes to individuals with disabilities, depictions of desire still often perpetuate ableist images and stereotypes. Taking the Australian short film The Knight as an example of best practice, this case study demonstrates what discrimination-conscious collaboration with disabled actors can look like in concrete terms. Dance, improvisation, personal storytelling and intimacy coordination become tools for creating authentic, accessible processes – and for crafting stories in which sex, desire and identity are a natural part of the everyday realities of people with disabilities.