One In Five for Sunday 14 June 2009

When members of the German film industry approached filmaker Niko von Glasow to do a film 'about disability', he nearly told them to shove it. In von Glasow's eyes, this was an industry that had ignored him because of his own disability - thalidomide induced shortened arms. So he proposed the idea of getting a group of other 'Thalidomiders' to join him to pose nude for a book of photographs, and make a film about it. Fully expecting a refusal, von Glasow says he was more than surprised when the idea was accepted. The resulting film, 'Nobody's Perfect' documents the stories of Niko von Glasow and his disabled fellows as they prepare for the ultimate in exposure. On this week's One in Five, producer and presenter Mike Gourley features an extended interview with Niko von Glasow talking about his award winning film - and its impact on his own sense of identity.