A GIFTED artist has made an animated film showing how she gained confidence despite a rare condition which affected her appearance.

JoAnne Salmon was born with Treacher Collins syndrome, which affects one in 50,000 babies and involves deformities of the ears, eyes, cheekbones and chin.

Her film Chin Up tells how she felt different from other children and loved to draw herself as heroic characters to escape insecurity.

However, she never drew her own features any differently.

She now works for Bournemouth production company LoveLove Films and the film tells how she found confidence through her talent as an animator.

Chin Up was the only British film commissioned for Many Voices, a global initiative by MOFILM for which film-makers were asked the question: “What does the year of women mean where you are?”

JoAnne, who directed Chin Up, said: “Chin Up is at its essence a story of hope and self-acceptance. My story.

“It’s about following your dreams and persevering in the face of adversity and embracing all the quirks that make you, you.

"I have learned that being different is not always about outside appearances. It can be on the inside too and everyone wants to feel accepted. I hope that people, no matter of age, gender, race or ability, will be inspired to know that they can be whatever they want to be.”

In the film, JoAnne says: “If I wasn’t different, perhaps I would never have drawn as much as a child and I wouldn’t be here on this awesome adventure outside of my drawings.”

Georgina Hurcombe, producer of the film and founder of LoveLove Films said: “It’s great to see MOFILM using their vast network to fund and commission their own initiatives like the wonderful Many Voices series, which is such an exciting opportunity for women filmmakers.

“Last year, of the top 100 grossing films, only eight per cent were directed by women, so it’s fantastic to have an organisation actively addressing this. We were delighted to be commissioned to produce Chin Up about JoAnne’s touching and heartwarming journey, and hope that it acts as a source of inspiration to many.”

Rebecca Sykes, global chief executive of MOFILM, said: “Diversity comes in many forms from gender and ethnicity to experiences and ideas. We are all different but key passions, topics and beliefs unite us.

"We launched Many Voices to show there is no one answer to a question, which was reinforced by the range of important stories, crying out to be told, that we received in response.”

Chin Up can be watched for free at https://bit.ly/2QxvZXM