Jon Earle and Karen Miles: Kiwi Filmmaker and Parent to Parent CEO on featherStrength and what it means to be a caregiver for a disabled loved one

Disability can be something you’re born with, something that develops slowly, or something that comes about suddenly, and while many people take on the challenge of caring for their disabled loved ones, it can be challenging to know exactly what it means to be a caregiver.   Kiwi filmmaker Jon Earle has created a deeply intimate documentary that captures just that – a story of endurance, identity, and family life under sustained pressure.  Filmed almost entirely by Earle himself, featherStrength covers the more than a decade Earle has been raising his daughter, who was born with profound developmental disabilities requiring intensive 24/7 care.  It captures the medical uncertainty, isolation, and the toll caregiving can have on relationships, work, and mental health, and has just won Best New Zealand Feature and Best New Zealand Editing at the Doc Edge Festival Awards.  Jack was joined by both Earle and Karen Miles, the CEO of Parent to Parent, a not-for-profit support organisation for families navigating disability, to discuss the film and the journey so many families face caring for their loved ones.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.