I'll Find a Way is a 1977 documentary short film (26 minutes) directed by Beverly Shaffer. It was produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
It is a portrait of Nadia DeFranco, a nine-year-old girl living in Toronto, Canada. Nadia has spina bifida. She uses a wheelchair but also takes physical therapy that strengthens her legs and allows her to walk with a cane. Nadia's other activities include swimming lessons, wheelchair basketball, and changing her little baby cousin's diapers. She goes to a special school for children with disabilities but hopes to attend a regular school.
22 years later Beverly Shaffer produced a sequel, Just a Wedding, that focused on Nadia DeFranco getting married.
Tropes:
- Canadian Equals Hockey Fan: Well, what else would the boys in Nadia's neighborhood be playing in the street?
- Documentary: Of the challenges faced by a child with spina bifida. Nadia specifically says she wishes more places had wheelchair ramps.
- Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Hard not to be inspired by a little girl working so hard to overcome a major disability.
- Narrator: Nadia DiFranco tells her own story.
- Non-Ironic Clown: Nadia watches a clown performing for kids at the CN Tower observation deck.
- Title Drop: The movie ends with Nadia considering the possibility of enrolling at a regular school. After showing some apprehension about how the kids might make fun of her wheelchair or her braces, and wondering how she'll deal with them, she brightens and says "I'll find a way." Freeze frame, roll credits.
