Paris-based sales company Roco Films has acquired global rights to Mari Saunders’ Stand Up ahead of its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, with sales beginning at the Cannes Market.
The Dutch director’s debut film tells the story of Bella, a fun-loving 23-year-old woman whose life changes when an accident leaves her confined to a wheelchair. Feeling that she no longer fits into her old life, she is drawn into the world of Xander, a young man who has always lived with a disability.
Faced with a difficult choice, Vera must decide whether to continue fighting to belong to the world she once lived in, or risk securing a place in a world she never imagined.
Making its world premiere at Tribeca’s International Narrative Competition, “Stand Up” was produced by Ineke Kanters and Lisette Kelder of Dutch production company Film Kitchen, and co-produced with Amanda Livanou, Katerina Zorou and Robert Kievit of Greece’s Neda Film. Starring Lucia Zemen, Daan Bringa, Kendrick Etmon, Hana Hussein, Guy Clemens, Tamer van den Dorp.
Roco Film’s Laurent Danyrou described the film as “a powerful and emotional portrait of a young woman rebuilding her life in a wheelchair, brought to screen with honesty, charm and a fresh perspective on disability representation.”
Sanders, who was born with cerebral palsy and has used a wheelchair his entire life, told Variety that “Stand Up” was born out of a desire to raise awareness about people living with disabilities.
“In ‘Stand Up,’ I uncover the often overlooked world of young people with disabilities, their challenges, their culture, and their perspectives. The film examines the difference between being born with a disability and acquiring one later in life, and explores how such events reshape lives and identities,” he says. “At the heart of this film is the question of how much of who you are is defined by your disability.”
Sanders said the inspiration for the film was deeply personal, noting that around 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability, which he describes as “the largest minority in the world, but one of the least represented on screen.”
“Growing up in special education, I connected with others who were on a similar path,” he said. “I was part of a world that was just as rich and fulfilling as the rest of the world, but essentially invisible in film. I wanted to change that.”
Each of the actors who played disabled characters on “Stand Up” also had disabled characters in real life, which Sanders described as “an essential artistic choice for authenticity and fostering an overlooked pool of talent.”
“We worked with actors, many of whom brought their own experiences into the story, combining elements of fiction and documentary to accurately and poetically portray life with a disability,” he said. “Ultimately, this film is a celebration of vulnerability, a story about our ever-changing bodies and how that is reflected in our identities.”
