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Open Road

Written & Directed by Liz Crow
10 x 5 second bites 2005
Made for CobraVision and screened on ITV2

Against a half-light blue sky, a woman sits on her wheelchair, high up on top of a van roof. In a long dress, her arms thrown wide, blue fabric draped behind her, she tips back her head and whoops her joy.

About

Think Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Top Gear, and a little hippy chic, as a red van drives through the West Country countryside. Joie de vivre.

 

Awards

Highly commended in CobraVision ITV short film competition

Stills

  • A Playmobil woman sits on a wheelchair perched on top of a miniature red model VW van, with ‘love and lib’ painted onto its side. The woman’s arms are flung high and, from her shoulders, a piece of black fabric flows behind her.
  • A close up of a hand holding a newspaper stencil of a silhouetted bird against the side of a red VW camper van. Another hand sprays aerosol paint onto the paintwork to add a bluebird to the leaves and sprays of white flowers already adorning the vehicle.
  • A life-sized hessian fabric doll with no features sits naked on a manual wheelchair next to a red van.
  • In early morning light in open country, 'Katie', the life-sized fabric doll is clothed in long green dress and flowing blonde wig, a flower in her hair, is seated on a wheelchair tipped backwards to the ground. Members of the crew, dressed against the cold, attach a swathe of blue fabric to her shoulders.
  • Perched on the red van with its spray painted flora and fauna is the wheelchair occupied by 'Katie'. From the back of the chair billows streams of fabric. Members of the crew kneel on the roof.
  • An a country lane with grassy banks, and against a looming sky, Liz Crow is dressed in the same green dress and wig, a flower in her hair and a navy blue gilet added for warmth. In the background is the red van with its spray painted decoration, Liz's wheelchair perched high on its rooftop, with fabric billowing in the wind.
  • Against a looming sky, Liz Crow, perched on the roof of the van, her wheelchair strapped in place, is dressed in the same green dress and wig, fabric flowing from the back of her chair. Lying flat along the roof of the van are two of the crew holding tightly to the chair for additional anchorage.
  • The rear wheel of a wheelchair is strapped to the roof of a red ban, a great train of blue, grey and purple ripstock fabric billowing in the wind against a solid grey sky.

Screenings

  • UK

    London Disability Film Festival, British Film Institute
    Southbank Centre, London, as part of the Dance Umbrella Festival and Candoco Turning 20

  • Germany

    Broadcast
    Tanz Heilbronn Festival

  • Broadcast

    ITV

Credits

  • Open Road

    Written & Directed by
    Liz Crow

    Produced by
    Sue Fairbanks

    Camera
    Sue Fairbanks
    Mark Sennet

    Sound & Music
    Sam Leyden
    Will Young

    Art Direction
    Rachel Dadd
    Moira Gavin
    James Nevill

    Production Assistant
    Jacob Casselden

    Production
    Roaring Girl Productions

Press

  • A film of exuberance and delight, it made me laugh out loud

    Online reviewer

To cite this page: Crow, Liz (2005) Open Road, Roaring Girl Productions [online] [Available at: http://www.roaring-girl.com/work/open-road/] [Accessed 26/04/2024]