About this Short Film
More Than A Label (St Peter's Cambridge, New Zealand, 2020) explores themes of identity, resilience and connection. While details of the story are kept close, the film speaks to experiences familiar to many: navigating school, family life and relationships while living with cerebral palsy and using a wheelchair. It reflects on achievement, motivation and the impact of bullying, without claiming to offer a single answer. Presented in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival, this short sits alongside other works that celebrate the abilities and everyday lives of people with disability. A thoughtful, human portrait that invites audiences to reconsider assumptions and labels.
Film Details
Country:
New Zealand
Category:
School Documentaries
Genre:
interview
Festival Year:
2020
Filmmaker:
St Peter's Cambridge
Film Transcript
Cerebral palsy is a physical disability that is considered to be permanent. It affects the person's mobility and posture. In the main, I've probably never seen myself as having a disability or being disabled, and I think that definitely always came from my mum and dad. We tried to make sure that she had all the opportunities of doing not what everybody else was doing but anything that she wanted to do; we tried to make it possible, tried to make it fit. I was always told I was normal and that I could do whatever I put my mind to or decided to do.
I think what I found was because I often tried to let my abilities shine, other kids didn't really like that and so I would often end up getting bullied a lot for the things that I could do. I learnt very early on to be really independent and to understand and have a sense of self. With a disability there's a lot of perceptions about what you can and can't do or what you should be able to do, and so I always felt like I was almost fighting against making sure that people could see me for who I was rather than seeing Christy, the girl in the wheelchair.
I'd really love to move into a leadership role and I'd had a goal coming out of university that within five years I really wanted to have a leadership role, and so I still had that in my head. Within a few weeks they had a change within another entity within the business and they said, "Look, we've got a team that's really struggling, they've just come back in — would you come in on a secondment as the general manager?" So I said yes, and I knew it was going to be a massive stretch and a massive challenge. It was looking after the whole business, doing a business turnaround and reporting to a board.
When I looked back over my career I realised that I had always been about helping people navigate systems so that they could thrive.
When you first met Christy, did you think her being in a wheelchair was going to limit your relationship with her in any way?
I kind of knew of wood and some aspects I didn't know; having never really been in a relationship with someone in a wheelchair, it was all new to me. You kind of keep going and get through them all when you understand that this is my partner and we're gonna make a go of it together.
I never actually thought I would get married. I had aspirations around being really good at what I did in my work life and that was going to be my focus, and I didn't see getting married or having a family in my journey. When I met Hickey it was a surprise, I guess, because for the first time I could start to see that picture. It was tough in some ways because I think having a disability there's all these visions around what a wedding should be and how you should look and how that should all play out, and I knew that for some of that I just wouldn't be able to, but for some of that I could do it in my own way, and so walking down the aisle was just one of those things.
Charlie was born at 27 weeks' gestation. She went straight into NICU and she had a haemorrhage in her lung and had to be intubated, so she was put on a ventilator. Because I was so unwell, I didn't actually see Charlie for the first kind of five days. Eventually Mum intervened, and when I was moved back down to women's health she said to them, "She needs to see the baby," and so they finally did. We met down in the bed and all I could kind of see was this tiny foot sticking over the side, and so I had to put my finger in because for the first time I could actually see her. She held my finger, which I think gave me a sense that this little being is very, very strong, and so whatever's going on for me I have to trust her that she's a fighter and therefore I have to travel with her on this journey.
My name is Christy Tordor. I'm a daughter, a mother, a wife, a consultant, a people leader and a social entrepreneur, and I don't let cerebral palsy define me.
Filmmaker
St Peter's Cambridge is the filmmaker behind this entry. See every Focus on Ability entry from St Peter's Cambridge.
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18 comments
Good work Jack and team - an inspiring journey and story you have put together and shared ...
What a beautifully executed inspiring and uplifting documentary. Well done to the production tea. Congratulations on a great piece of work.
A powerful and inspiring story beautifully told by the film makers. Well done team - this is really great work.
Thank you for sharing this very personal story of courage in such a positive and inspiring way. Well done Jack and Team.
Well done Jack and team from Saint Peters Cambridge NZ. A beautiful sensitive documentary with a powerful message that everyone is worthy of place in the world.
Well done Jack Team - handled with sensitivity and positivity - good stuff does happen
Brilliant work Team St Peters. Congrats to all involved.
Well done Jack and your team on a seamless professional production. You captured the essence of who Kristy is and what she is not. Thank you Kristy your outlook on life beautifully and sensitively captured in this production is inspiring
Wow thanks Jack and your team for reminding us all how valuable we all are as human beings and that we all have special gifts and talents to offer this world. Awesome short film. Go well.
Congratulations on a very moving and inspirational documentary. I am so very proud of you all.
Good luck guys. Great work. Proud of your efforts.
A very moving documentary that captures our hearts with this powerful message of courage. Well done ST Peters
How beautifully this production interviewer lighting variety of settings editing music and Kristy herself has captured the essence of this courageous and clearly special person and her family. Great job St Peters Team and Jack for making me think.
Congratulations Jack and your talented team from Saint Peters Cambridge on your film production.You have shown empathy and respect to your chosen subject which we found very moving.Loved the music.
Well Done St Peters and Jack A great achievement. Very moving and incredibly inspiring short film. Well Done
Well done St Peters for capturing this moving story so engagingly
I found this to be such a professionally made short film. It portrayed a poignant message.
This documentary captured our hearts and triggered us to reflect so much more deeply on the way we see the world. Great work St Peters.