Diversity and inclusion on and off the screen

Clare Baines (she/her) is an Inclusion Partner at the British Film Institute (BFI), focusing on accessible filmmaking & exhibition. She is also the founder of The Crip Club, a pioneering community and podcast dedicated to challenging ableism in film. Through these roles, Clare advocates for authentic disability representation, celebration of Disabled talent and joy and seeks to bring disability justice to the screen industry. 

Justin Edgar’s last two films We are the Freaks and The Marker were acquired by Netflix. He began his career directing documentaries for Channel 4 and Doctors for the BBC and directed his first feature film Large for Film Four aged just 26. His second feature film Special People premiered at the 2007 TriBeCa Film Festival and went on to win a Royal Television Society diversity award. His company 104 films worked on the BAFTA nominated Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll and co-produced feature documentary Notes on Blindness which was nominated for three BAFTAs including Best British Film. He has sat on the BAFTA debut jury, the disability screen advisory group for the BFI and advises Channel 4, the BBC and Netflix on disability. His film prints, including Special People, have been archived at the BFI as works of cultural significance and he is currently writing a book on disability in British Film for Bloomsbury and recently produced 4 short films with new disabled talent for Film4. His new feature film, Something Else, starring Maxine Peake, BAFTA Breakthrough nominee Conrad Khan (Peaky Blinders) and Morfydd Clark has been developed with funding from Creative Europe’s MEDIA programme and is due to shoot in late 2024. Recent projects include WW2-set Deaf drama The Letter and Kirkmore, a disability comedy for BBC3. He is also developing The Rose Grower, a political conspiracy thriller with Gub Neal’s Ringside Studios (My Name is Leon, Liaison). Justin is also a visual artist and has created work for the V&A, Tate St Ives, Art Fund, Southbank Centre and The Art House.

His currently building two giant Staffordshire Dogs in Stoke on Trent City centre, with funding from The Arts Council of England.

Shani Dhanda is a Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Specialist, Social Entrepreneur and Broadcaster. Recognised as the UK's most influential disabled person and the BBC's 100 Women Laureate of 2020, Dr Shani Dhanda sparks transformative change as a consultant, collaborating with businesses and brands to authentically embrace inclusion and accessibility. Her expertise in disability inclusion has had a profound global impact, collectively reaching over 1.5 million employees worldwide. Navigating the world as a South Asian woman experiencing disability, her intersectional activism serves as a catalyst for challenging social inequality worldwide through entrepreneurial ventures, founding initiatives like Diversability, the Asian Woman Festival and the Asian Disability Network. Beyond her TV presence, eight executive and five ambassadorial roles, Shani's impact extends to over 250 conferences worldwide, sharing stages with luminaries such as Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. Her work as a changemaker has earned her over twenty-five honours and awards.