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Flying Under the Radar

This exhibition is now closed, but the film is still available to view online on this page.

The short film ‘Flying Under The Radar’ explores late diagnosis of autism in women.

Written and directed by Solène Guichard, a French filmmaker based in Northern Ireland, Flying Under the Radar is a beautiful film that explores the experiences of 24 women who have been diagnosed with autism in adulthood.

According to the National Autistic Society, around 700,000 people in the UK are thought to be on the autism spectrum. Five times as many men are diagnosed than women, and until recently this was thought to be because the characteristics of autism were more usually found in men. However, research has shown that girls and women are more likely to be misdiagnosed or to be ‘flying under the radar’ with findings also highlighting a gender bias in the medical field.

Flying Under the Radar was illustrated and animated by Darcy Burrows and produced by Jordan Whitefield of What Elephant.

 

 

Selected storyboard images from the film Flying Under the Radar

A screenshot of an animation on a blue background, a drawing of a person stands with a tag around their neck with the text "autism" written on it. They are surrounded by differently coloured sketched ovals.
A screenshot of an animation of blue drawings on a white background, a person sits on a chair holding a child with a tag around their neck which reads "autism". In the foreground a clip board with a list is being filled out but the text is not legible.
A screenshot of an animation of blue drawings on a white background, a person sits on a chair holding a child with their eyes closed and their arms raised. the child sits smiling into the distance. In the lower corner is a screenshot of a person seated crossed legged on a bed with their arms raised mimicking the pose of the animation.
A screenshot of an animation of blue drawings on a white background, a person is sat cross legged with their head cradled by their arms and their forearms shielding their face from view. a small screenshot is visible in the lower corner of a person seated on a bed mimicking the pose of the animation.
A screenshot of an animation of blue drawings on a white background. A person seated on their bed surrounded by posters on their walls is writing in a book, they are looking downward with a sad expression and a tear rolling down their face.
A screenshot of an animation of blue drawings on a white background. An open hand reaches over to grasp a small dish of olives, the dish is set amongst text which reads "Anxiety and Depression" in large text. In the lower corner is a screenshot of a video mimicking the hand position in the animation.
A screenshot of an animation of blue drawings on a white background. A close up of a persons hand holding a pen, handwritten text is visible in the background which reads " tick tock tick tock click click click".
A screenshot of an animation of blue drawings on a white background. a school playground is visible in the background with pairs of children talking and playing. In the foreground a lone child stands with an unhappy expression holding their school bag.

Meet the creative team

A portrait photograph of Solene

HeadshotSolene (1)

Solene Guichard
Writer / Director

Solene was born in Langres, France. She moved to Belfast in 2014 to complete a work placement for her post-graduate degree in Film Studies and Philosophy before completing a Masters degree in Film Studies at Queen’s University in Belfast.

Since graduating, Solene has made a few shorts, sometimes with animation. Her  work has featured in the WomenCineMakers magazine;  Beyond Conference 2020; BBC iplayer and QFT iplayer. Her films have been screened at Cork International Film Festival; Outfest LA and Belfast Film Festival. Solene has received funding from Northern Ireland Screen, Future Screens Ni and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Solene’s films deeply connect with the vulnerable, the outcast, the introvert, the quiet, the awkward and the underdog. She loves bringing these characters to film and believes that they don’t need fancy tricks to be authentic on screen. They are worthy in their own way, and she’s passionate to show it in the stories she tells.

 

 

A portrait photograph of Darcy

Darcy

Darcy Burrows 
Freelance Illustrator, Animator & Designer
Darcy Burrows is a Strangford based illustrator, animator & designer from Northern Ireland. Darcy holds a Bachelors degree in Animation from Belfast School of Art and has been working as a freelance illustrator since her late school years. Her career as a digital artist has taken off since graduating from university with her own 2D short film ‘Sardines on Toast’, which was her first ever attempt at frame by frame, 2D animation. Having enjoyed the process thoroughly, she paired her work as a freelance Graphic Designer at BBC NI with multiple animation opportunities in her year following university – which all led up to her work on this wonderful project with Solene.

 

With roots in traditional illustration using watercolour and ink, her animation follows the same loose, natural style – with a close attention to little details. This style compliments the often unpredictable nature of the story in ‘Flying under the Radar’ and reminds us that an ‘unfinished’ or ‘messy’ story, is still a beautiful one.

Website: https://darcyburrowsdesign.wordpress.com/

 

 

A portrait photograph of Jordan

Jordan

Jordan Whitefield
Creative Producer

Jordan Whitefield is a creative producer who specialises in working with creative and charity professionals. Her projects focus on raising awareness of social injustice, unearthing untold stories and using storytelling to encourage social progress.

 

 

What’s next for Flying Under the Radar?

The Flying Under the Radar project is going to continue! If you’d like to be involved, please email LEVEL for more information: admin@levelcentre.com