Crowdfunder is secure
Your payment details are protected
To create an honest short film that raises awareness of dyspraxia and helps audiences understand its everyday challenges.
I’m a writer and director from Wolverhampton, England, and I have dyspraxia. This film is deeply personal to me because it is inspired by experiences that are often misunderstood, overlooked or dismissed as simply being clumsy, lazy or careless.
I have directed two short films so far. One has been submitted to film festivals, while the other is available to watch on YouTube. I funded that production entirely myself, but with DYSPRAXIA, I want to raise the standard and create something with the professional quality and emotional impact this subject deserves.
The film follows Elliot, a fourteen-year-old boy struggling through an ordinary school day while dealing with the hidden challenges of dyspraxia. The aim is not to present him as helpless, but to allow audiences to experience the frustration, exhaustion and isolation that can come from constantly being misunderstood.
Visually, the film will begin with a dark, cold blue colour palette. The blue represents Elliot’s loneliness, confusion and the feeling of being trapped inside a world that does not understand him. As the story progresses and he finally begins to feel heard, the lighting and colours will gradually become brighter and warmer. This visual change is crucial to the storytelling because it allows the audience to feel Elliot’s emotional journey without everything needing to be explained through dialogue.
Ormiston NEW Academy in Wolverhampton has expressed an interest in allowing us to film at the school, giving the project an authentic setting and helping us accurately portray the environment in which many young people with dyspraxia struggle.
I am also building a committed team of actors and crew members who understand that this is more than just another short film. We want to create something honest, cinematic and useful — a film that can be screened at festivals, shared online and potentially shown in schools to encourage conversations about neurodiversity. Every person involved will be chosen not only for their ability, but for their willingness to treat the subject with care and respect.
I have also acquired permission to use “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” during the film’s final shot and end credits. The song perfectly captures the heart of the story: Elliot is not asking to be excused or treated differently. He simply wants to be understood.
The money raised will help cover professional cast and crew fees, cinematography and lighting equipment, sound recording, transport, catering, insurance, safeguarding requirements, production design, editing, colour grading and sound mixing. It will allow us to create a polished film rather than compromising the story because of limited resources.
DYSPRAXIA is a film made from lived experience. My goal is to create the film I wish people around me could have watched when I was younger — something that shows the reality behind the label and reminds young people with dyspraxia that they are not lazy, broken or alone.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 27th September 2026 at 9:21pm