Fighters, but not that type of fighting!

When I saw the film title ‘Fighters’ I wasn’t really interested because I am not a fan of boxing. But then I saw Tanni Grey-Thompson speaking on the trailer which made me take a closer look and I discovered that it was about much more than that.

Fighters, but not that type of fighting!

I spoke to one of the producers of ‘Fighters’ Michael Grimmett, who said “Boxing is just the surface.” He explained that “This documentary is about so much more. It’s about the daily fights Disabled People endure – access to services. To get on the bus, equal opportunities, or even a ramp. These are battles no one should have to face.”

This point was reinforced by Tanni Grey-Thompson when she said “Disabled people have been forgotten about and excluded it's a real fight for disabled people on a daily basis just to survive.”

This is the reality for so many disabled people. Whilst ‘Fighters’ the barriers and challenges facing disabled people it is a very positive and very powerful film.

In the film this was highlighted by one person who said “There's nothing wrong with being disabled. One in four people are disabled.”

What this means is that everyone knows someone who is disabled. Let me repeat that, Everyone knows Someone that is Disabled! However, we should remember that not every disability is visible.

This point was underlined by Esi Hardy who said “Just because you can't see our disabilities doesn't mean that we don't have them.”

“If you suddenly lost your hearing, you suddenly lost your sight, how grateful would you feel if there were people around you who were so understanding and wanting to help you?” commented Jodie Ounsley better known as Fury the Gladiator. She continued “What can we do to assist you? That's what should be the questions and answers, not no!”

Fury the Gladiator

This is something that I can relate to because I lost my hearing overnight - literally went to bed hearing and woke up deaf.

So far, I have only seen the trailer of the film which you can watch by following this link the good news is that if you are deaf, like me, the film is captioned.

The film is being released on Monday 23rd June. I would encourage you to go and see the film which initially is being shown at 30 Odeon Cinemas and if you follow this link you will find out which ones are showing it

If ‘Fighters’ is not being shown at your local cinema, please contact them and ask them to show it. If we all write to our local cinemas, regardless of whether they are Odeon, Cineworld, Vue or any other brand, they may agree to show it.

‘Fighters’ is more than just a film – it’s a wake-up call!

In the words of the producers of the film “This is a film that needs to be seen – not just by the disabled community, but by everyone – because if you want something bad enough, you might just have to fight for it.”