Autistic filmmaker from Wolverhampton hailed for short film exploring his struggle making friends

An autistic filmmaker has been nominated for three awards for his short film exploring how challenging it can be for him to make friends.

Sib Ali, 34, who resides in Wolverhampton, has struggled to form bonds and relationships with people throughout his life – a difficulty many other autistic people can relate to.

But he refuses to let it hold him back when it comes to chasing his dreams of becoming a filmmaker. Instead, he turned it into a powerful short film, which is gaining acclaim at this year's Birmingham Film Festival.

The film features a candid interview with Abbie, who faces the same struggles with making friends as Sib. The pair, who first met in 2019, discussed how they feel about their difficulties navigating relationships with other people.

Abi described it as feeling like "everyone is born with a manual on how to make friends but the pages are stuck together" in hers. Sib agreed.

Now, the film has been nominated for three awards – including Best Micro Short, the Bull Award and the Audience Vote Award.

Speaking exclusively with the Express & Star about the news, Sib said: "I just wanted to build something good and I am hopeful that I can because of this.

"It is the big break I have been hoping for. The film industry is based on prestige and being nominated for these awards is the start of that for me.

"I hope this will open doors for me and my future in the industry as it's all I've ever wanted."

Kevin McDonagh, president of the Birmingham Film Festival, said: "Sib’s film was selected as we felt it was an honest and engaging look at the issue of socialising from the perspective of a person with autism.

"Though short, the simplistic nature of the film and the open nature of Abbie, the interviewee, made understanding the issue much easier and we think others viewers will benefit from seeing the film.

"We strive to encourage creative people to continue to tell their stories and this clearly an important story for Sib and those who’s lives are affected by autism so we are thrilled to get to share it with our audience."

Sib's short film will be screened on November 12. For more information about the Birmingham Film Festival, visit its website.