Unmasking is a 90-minute feature documentary that urgently needs support to be brought to life—a powerful, intimate portrait of six autistic South African women reclaiming their voices through an innovative puppetry workshop. At a time when autistic women remain among the most underdiagnosed and misunderstood, this film offers something rare: a space where they are not spoken about, but heard—on their own terms. Supporters can help make this vital story possible here: https://www.backabuddy.
The project was initiated by Wendy Bowley, founder of Knowing Autism, who was diagnosed at 44—two years after her young son. Her personal journey ignited a broader mission to challenge perceptions of autism, particularly for women whose experiences are so often overlooked. She partnered with Sanktuary Films, the award-winning team behind I Am Here, to bring this vision to screen.
Over three weekends, six women from diverse backgrounds come together in a facilitated creative space, using puppetry as a tool for expression, reflection, and healing. As they build and animate their puppets, they begin to unpack deeply personal experiences of masking, marginalisation, and identity in a world that has struggled to understand them. The workshop evolves into a rare sanctuary—one that fosters connection, honesty, and self-definition.
Supported by a network of leading experts, researchers, and autistic advocates, the film bridges lived experience with broader insight into the systemic gaps in autism awareness and support in South Africa. Yet its strength lies in its intimacy: in the conversations, the silences, and the moments of breakthrough as each woman steps into her own narrative.
The film builds toward a cathartic culmination, where performance becomes a form of release—symbolic, emotional, and deeply human. In shedding the masks they have long worn, these women reveal not only their individual truths, but a collective story that has remained largely untold.
Unmasking arrives at a critical cultural moment. As global conversations around neurodiversity grow, authentic African perspectives remain underrepresented. This documentary seeks to shift that—offering visibility, nuance, and impact where it is urgently needed.
Bringing this film to completion depends on public support. Every contribution helps create a platform for voices that have been overlooked for too long—and ensures this story reaches the audiences who need to hear it.
