‘6000 Waiting’; The moving documentary short film by award-winning filmmaker Michael McDonald (‘Freebird’) hits you like an emotional ton of bricks instantly as we witness a young man skydiving into the endless blue sky. As we follow the brave and extraordinary Georgia trio of Ben Oxley, Naomi Williams and Nick Papadopoulos, we learn not just about their heroic plight, but also something within ourselves that can remind us of the power of the human spirit and our abiity to overcome even the most heartbreaking of situations.

The film’s title refers to the current (as of 2021) amount of people with disabilities painstakingly waiting in the hope the government of Georgia will allow them access to special heathcare needs and support. We learn the failings and ugly politics of congress and the courts as more and more people such as our trio get lost in the system until they are forgotton entirely.

Nick’s story is the most tragic as he (along with many other cerebral palsy patients) are sent to nursing care instead of recieving private care and financial support once their earnings dry up. To see such an affable spirit toil and suffer in isolation from the world around him is truly unbelieveable. Naomi we discover has a son (Noah) who suffers from CP who was given very little chance to survive by medical experts, still living on under the loving care of Naomi as she struggles to cope with being a caregiver for her child and trying to pay the bills. Ben is the free spirit who loves to be in the outdoors but finds his CP and lack of funding keeping him imprisoned in his house seemingly for good.

McDonald’s gift as a filmmaker is not to paint these people as vitctims or caricatures, but genuine people who show such kindness and determination in the face of immense odds. Ably backed with striking visuals by cinematographer Zach Read who renders the film with a cinematic visual flourish and a haunting musical score.

We the audience get to know these brave people in such a short amount of time we wish we could spend more time with them and their plight but as the film discloses, all of them get their ending so to speak: hope for some and heartbreak for others. This sums up the film most accurately as proof not everyone earns a happy ending and that we are capable of being the best and worst versions of ourselves (congress take note) but just like the striking opening image of Ben gracefully freefalling into the sky, at peace if only for a precious split-second, we are reminded how life affirming the art of filmmaking can be.

‘6000 Waiting’ is available to stream now on YouTube and on the official website at www.6000waiting.com

L’Arche Atlanta Productions, USA, 30 Mins, 2021.