‘This Is Endometriosis’ Wins Best British Short Film, Demands Greater Awareness
“With this work we want to show our realities and what we fight often behind closed doors. This is what it looks like. 190 million people worldwide have this disease, and we need to be seen,” the filmmakers said.
At the recent BAFTA Awards, the zero-budget short film This Is Endometriosis won the award for Best British Short Film, shining a spotlight on a long-overlooked issue — the medical community’s tendency to undervalue endometriosis and the lived experiences of those who suffer from it.
Directed by Georgie Wileman and Matt Houghton, the film draws from Wileman’s own painful journey with the disease. According to the filmmakers, the documentary combines “deeply private, self-documented material, intimate family archive, traditional observational footage and a collection of reconstructive memories” to tell the story of a young photographer struggling to remain present while confronting systemic disbelief. Seen through the lens of Wileman’s raw and evocative photography, This Is Endometriosis offers an unflinching look at the realities of living with the condition and underscores the power of community support.
Endometriosis is a chronic and often debilitating condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb — commonly on the ovaries, bowels, and in rare cases, even the lungs. This abnormal growth can cause severe pain, internal bleeding, inflammation, and, if left untreated, may result in infertility or permanent organ damage.
The condition affects approximately one in ten women worldwide. Yet diagnosis can take years — sometimes up to a decade — as symptoms are frequently dismissed or misattributed to routine menstrual cramps. Many patients report that their pain is minimized by healthcare professionals. Wileman has described her experience as far more severe than period pain, comparing it to the intensity of childbirth.
In their paper Endometriosis Is Undervalued: A Call to Action, Ellis K., Munro D., and Clarke J. note that nearly 70% of patients live with unresolved pain that affects every aspect of their quality of life. The authors also highlight increased levels of chronic stress, anxiety, and depression among sufferers, contributing to a significantly reduced overall quality of life compared to those without the condition.
Wileman’s BAFTA win not only marks a major artistic achievement but also serves as a powerful call for greater awareness, research funding, and systemic change within the medical field.
“With this work we want to show our realities and what we fight often behind closed doors. This is what it looks like. 190 million people worldwide have this disease, and we need to be seen,” the filmmakers said.
This article is Written By Yoga Adithya, an Intern at Deccan Chronicle.
