Searchlight Acquires Sundance Short Film 'Wiggle Room'

The short centers on a teenage paraplegic, played by Deanna Gibson in her acting debut.

Searchlight Pictures has picked up the Sundance short film Wiggle Room for their Searchlight Shorts program.

From director Julia Baylis and Sam Guest, the short follows Daisy (Deanna Gibson), a teenage paraplegic who is determined to save her wheelchair ramp from repossession and confronts the shady insurance agent who owes her money.

Gibson, who made her acting debut in the short, won a special jury award for her performance.

Searchlight Shorts have included shorts from directors like Martin McDonough and David Lowry, and are housed on the studio label's YouTube channel.

Stories centering on disability were among those front-and-center at this year's Sundance. Coda, which was picked by Apple in a record-setting sale and won the fest's grand jury prize in the narrative competition, centered on a majority deaf family, while Argentinean episodic series 4 Feet High follows a wheelchair user.