This spring, local Phoenix Director Indra Warikoo, Producer Hope Baker and Cinematographer Angel Ruiz united to enter their five-minute film “Silent Control” into the 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. 

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Challenging industry norms through storytelling

In 2013, actor, comedian and producer Nic Novicki partnered with Easterseals Southern California to create the Disability Film Challenge. This opportunity was Novicki’s response to the under-representation of talent with disabilities both in front of and behind the camera. 

BOSW talked with Warikoo and Baker to learn more about “Silent Control” and what the project means to them. 

“The importance of seeing true representation on screen was my inspiration,” Baker says. “Personally, I have never seen anyone with cerebral palsy on TV being portrayed in a way that made me feel seen. I wanted to challenge and break those stereotypes.”

From inspiration to action: Behind the scenes with the filmmakers

Baker learned about Easterseals through a sitcom writing class in college, and introduced Warikoo to the film challenge in 2024.

“It was an incredible experience,” Warikoo says of last year’s film challenge. “Our movie got some good exposure even though we did not win.”

The 2024 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge also helped Baker and Warikoo grow as filmmakers and gave them greater insight and motivation to enter this year.

“Silent Control” involves a compelling storyline that includes people living with disabilities, without making their disabilities the entire focus of the story. Rather, the short film demonstrates that people living with disabilities can seamlessly integrate their artistic expression into any story. 

A storyline that moves beyond labels

Part of the Silent Control plot involves a woman who turns to ASMR for anxiety relief, only to find herself under its hypnotic influence, committing a crime she doesn’t remember. Baker embodies the lead role with authenticity and rawness, leaving us reflecting on the layers and complexities of living with disabilities.

“The decision not to make the disabilities a central theme of the movie was to move away from industry stereotypes and normalize inclusion,” Warikoo explains. “I wanted the story to reflect the real world, where people with disabilities live full, rich lives.”

Baker adds, “People with disabilities are a part of the world we live in. Their inclusion in a movie makes it so much more ‘art imitates life’ for me. Disability is a part of us but does not define us. I’m just like any other 25-year-old trying to figure this out and live a fulfilling life, and that is what I wanted to see on screen.”

Watch the film and join the movement

To watch “Silent Control,” visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNWqUfzCpkQ&t=1s

To learn more, visit @SilentControlFilm