Under the sky
Under the sky
A young woman with achondroplasia defies stereotypes and becomes a vital member of her community, inspiring others with her strength and resilience.
Despite her achondroplasia diagnosis, Ana Bersenadze, 27, is an active member of her community in Ozurgeti, Guria, and constantly challenges existing stereotypes in society. Independent, charismatic and full of energy, Ani looks after her father and their household and is engaged in organizing various events in her small city. Ana’s role model is her deceased mother, who refused to let the diagnosis define Ana’s life. She raised a daughter with a strong will, teaching her the importance of resilience and determination.
Director's note
In Georgia, people with achondroplasia do not qualify for any state support and, as they are not considered disabled, are not eligible for the state-run treatment program for individuals with rare diseases. Achondroplasia is a rare genetic disorder that affects bone growth and causes chronic bone pain, hearing loss, and breathing problems due to the small size of the chest cavity. There is also no data on how many people in Georgia have achondroplasia.
People with achondroplasia require special medical treatment, diet and exercise. In Georgia, however, none of this is available to them and the parents of children with this syndrome struggle for different services, including a new medicine, now available and is already being used in the United States at the age of 15. The drug is supposed to improve bone condition in childhood, however it seems impossible for parents to purchase it without the state's assistance as a year of treatment costs about $320,000.
When we decided to work on this topic, we thought that we would face more challenges in the regions, where stereotypes might be more prevalent. While filming Ani, we discovered that Ani lives in a very inclusive environment, even though she struggled a lot in her life. Ani’s mother played the most important role to help her to be fully integrated in the community, get a good education and, as Ani notes, just be happy.
The film was produced in the framework of GIPA CSJMM documentary filmmaking class
This film was prepared with support from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) South Caucasus Regional Office. All opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of FES.