The glamour-loving troublemaker with Down syndrome, the petite forensic medicine assistant, the ten-year-old soccer fan with autism spectrum disorder—they're not often found, but they do exist: characters with disabilities in German cinema and television comedies. Using them as examples, I would like to examine the special relationship between comedy and characters with disabilities.
How is disability portrayed through comedy? What forms of comedy are used? Who laughs, at whom or what, and why is it funny? Are there any patterns to be recognized? Any recurring stereotypes? The underlying research question is whether comedy, of all things, can help to break down stigmas about disability.
Im approaching this topic through Davit Hector's classification of humor theories (“Theories of Humor”, 1985) and a focus group of people with disabilities.
The end result will be a series in which characters with and without disabilities stand side by side and are all equally made fun of.
Artist Statement:
Paul Bullinger studied dramatic writing at the Berlin University of the Arts and Swinburne University in Melbourne. After several years working as a unit and production manager, he completed a master's degree in film and television production, combining his interests in development and producing. Already in his master's thesis he researched the principles of comedy. After his Master’s, he worked as a writer and development coordinator at Zeitsprung Pictures. He is currently writing a tragicomedy for cinema and a television comedy. Since 2024, he has been teaching and pursuing his PhD at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF.
