''Raising the Bar'' is a 2016

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

that follows six young individuals with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

from Australia and India who perform a dance routine at the World Down Syndrome Congress 2015 in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, India. The film is directed by

Onir Onir (born Anirban Dhar, 1 May 1969) is an Indian film and TV director, editor, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his film ''My Brother…Nikhil'', based on the life of Dominic d'Souza, starring Sanjay Suri and Purab Kohli ''it'' ...

and co-produced by Mitu Bhowmick Lange and e.motion21, a non-profit Australian organisation. The film won the Best Documentary award at the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards 2018. It was part of the official selection at the Maryland International Film Festival 2017 and the Ethan Saylor Memorial Film Festival 2017.

Synopsis

The film traces the journeys of six young individuals with Down syndrome and their families in India and Australia as they prepare to perform at the World Down Syndrome Congress 2015 in Chennai, India. As they prepare themselves, the documentary portrays their ordinariness and the challenges that they face while providing insight into the vastly different cultures and communities across the two countries. The film culminates with them performing and meeting each other at the congress.

Production

The film was shot in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...

, and

in 2015.

Reception

Critical response

''Raising The Bar'' was well-received by critics who praised it for its intimate camerawork and "intrinsically moving" theme.

References

External links

Official website
* {{IMDb title, 8431292 2016 films Australian documentary films Indian documentary films Down syndrome in film