Heather Rose was a woman severely affected by cerebral palsy, who couldnt walk, talk, feed, dress or wash herself. Despite her physical disabilities she wasn't intellectually impaired, and with the assistance of director Rolf de Heer, was able to write and act in her own film, Dance Me to My Song (1998), heavily drawn from Roses experience living with cerebral palsy.

The documentary Heath Rose Goes to Cannes, directed by Christopher Corin for SBS Independent, recounts Roses extraordinary story as she completes her film then travels to the Cannes Film Festival to see Dance Me To My Song screened in competition, where it receives a rapturous reception.

Ironically, because of Heather Roses success the documentary becomes the type of inspirational narrative that she wanted to avoid with her own film. However, what keeps the documentary grounded is the presence of Rose herself, and the insistence that she is telling her own story. Her words narrate the documentary, and although they are spoken by an abled bodied (or voiced) actress, Eileen Darley, Rose informs the audience, This is not my voice you are hearing, but Id like to think Id have sounded like this

Though the majority of the film is focused on Heather Roses journey to Cannes and the many logistical challenges which confront her, Corin does include footage of the film in production, from Rose communicating with her co-writer Fred Stahl, swapping drafts of the script via an online message board, to re-recording her vocals for the soundtrack. The audiences interest about how disabled people partake in the filmmaking process are piqued but may be left unsatisfied. Still the short sequence included here is fascinating, especially since the involvement of those with disabilities in the 1990s was so rare an occurrence.

Additional note: For those who have seen Dance Me To My Song, Heather Rose Goes To Cannes contains multiple easter eggs that demonstrate how much Rose drew on her own life experience for inspiration. Most obviously, the film was shot in Roses house in Adelaide. But the wooden board covered in numbers and letters of the alphabet placed in the back of her wheelchair, was made by Roses grandfather when she was a girl to enable her to spell out words.