Simon, Scott and Sarah, a trio of activists with intellectual disabilities, hold a town hall meeting about the future impacts of artificial intelligence. Simon, considering himself a saviour for the community, quickly appoints himself the mayor. Scott reluctantly steps into the role of facilitator, but soon becomes enamoured with his own power and begins to dismiss the experiences of others. Sarah, often overlooked and underestimated by her counterparts, explodes, confronting the self-appointed leaders on their inadequacies. What begins as a polite discussion quickly descends into bickering and chaos, seemingly provoked by a force within. Sarah acts to unite the group, only to realise the battle to get their message across may be lost already.
Shadow is a film adaptation of the performance The shadow whose prey the hunter becomes and raises difficult questions about our time, about equal treatment and about what intellectual disability even means when artificial intelligence marches into our lives.
Content warnings:
Kiroilua ja aikuisille sopivia teemoja.
Director: Bruce Gladwin
Cast: Mark Deans, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Belinda McClory, Brian Lipson, Breanna Deleo, Iris Walshe-Howling, Phillip Besancon
Screenplay: Michael Chan, Mark Deans, Bruce Gladwin, Simon Laherty, Sarah Mainwaring, Scott Price, Sonia Teuben
Producer: Alice Fleming
Director of Photography and Editor: Rhian Hinkley
Musical Composition: Luke Howard Trio (Luke Howard, Daniel Farrugia, Jonathan Zion)
Art Director: Tao Weis
Costume Designer: Shio Otani
Associate Producer: Meret Hassanen
Executive Producers: Bruce Gladwin, Tim Stitz
Shadow was adapted from The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes and funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, the City of Greater Geelong through the Arts & Culture Department’s Arts Industry Commissions Program in partnership with UNESCO Creative City of Design, with additional support from Give Where You Live and the Une Parkinson Foundation. Shadow was supported by Screen Australia through the COVID-19 Budget Support Fund Program.
Based in Wadawurrung Country in the Victorian regional centre of Geelong, Back to Back Theatre is widely recognised as an Australian theatre company of national and international significance. The company is driven by an ensemble of actors who identify as having an intellectual disability or as neurodivergent, and is considered one of Australia’s most important cultural exporters.