ALBINO

Just 250 people in New Zealand have albinism. It can’t be cured it causes serious vision problems, skin that burns in the sun and psychological damage caused by looking so different from anyone else. Four year old Sara Callaghan is so sensitive to light she has to wear sunglasses indoors. Her parents are striving to give her a normal life as possible. Greatest impact is with people whose skin colour should be dark. Confusion about Niuean Alan Witana’s identity has dogged him all his life. Albinism occurs in all races. Statistically its rare: one in 18,000, however rates in Niue and the Cook Islands are among the highest in the world. Alan was adopted by extended family when his mother died but the new family reacted badly to his unusual looks. Their ignorance extended to making Alan work in the family’s market garden where he was severely and repeatedly sunburned. American photographer Rick Widoddy (?) has started a World-Wide project to reduce the stigma associated with albinism . He’s photographing 14 year old Josephine Peat. She is already 1.9m tall and combining with being albino doesn’t make for an easy life, she was bullied at school because of her looks, however today she’s playing the supermodel . Rick has started an albino support group, the first meeting of which is included in the documentary