Private Project

Untethered

Melanie Barratt, a gold-medal winning Paralympian, swims tethered to an elastic bungee in a small pool on her own. But, after 20 years of fitting personal goals around motherhood, new ambitions are burning - she’s desperate to try open-water swimming. Being blind, the only way to do this is to ask for help, but asking for help is a complex and often controversial issue for disabled people. Melanie has always hidden her disability because of social stigma and internalised ableism, but, the lure of new adventures is greater than the shame she feels. What happens next surpasses all expectations as she not only finds community, but also an increasing pride in her identity as a disabled woman. With the support of her ‘Ironfish’ friends, she not only learns to swim in open water but enters the record books by becoming the first blind woman to swim the English Channel.

  • Danielle Sellwood
    Director
    Younger - Looking Forward to Getting Older, 87 Days - Alone Rowing the Pacific.
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    sport, swimming, disability, women
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 8, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    80,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Kendal Mountain Festival
    Kendal
    United Kingdom
    November 21, 2024
    World Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Danielle Sellwood

I am a director/filmmaker specialising in sports and outdoor adventure focussing on women’s stories, and I’m particularly interested in marginalised groups. My recent projects include, Younger, about women still competing in athletics in their 70s and 80s, and, Untethered, about Melanie Barratt, the first blind woman to swim the English Channel.

I have a 30-year career in the sports industry spanning sportswear design, trend forecasting, journalism and activism for the promotion of women’s sport, plus I am a former GB international canoeist. I bring decades of experience and knowledge to my films, and have a deep connection and understanding of sports, and sport culture.

I also specialise in accessibility in film, all my work has descriptive captions and audio description - I view access as a creative opportunity and look at ways to weave these elements seamlessly into my films.

My work has been screened in UK cinemas, film festivals globally, and streamed on Sky Docs, Sky Sports and Amazon Prime.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This film has been created with accessibility as a priority. Audio description has been crafted to combine with narration for all to experience and the colour grade is designed with strong contrast and enhanced colour. Creative open captions are embedded, and for UK audiences there is expressive British Sign Language. There will also be a touch tour available at screenings.

This is a female-led production, written, produced and directed by Danielle Sellwood, Cinematography by Natasha Brooks, and editing and post-production management by Menna Wakeford.

Disabled creatives have been involved throughout, including composer, Lloyd Coleman, audio description narration, Poppy levison, BSL consultancy with Lynn Stewart-Taylor and narrative consultancy through Dr Chris Whittaker and Fran Whittaker.