Multiple Aussie filmmakers with disability win awards at short film festival

Key points:

• Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth attended the recent Focus on Ability Short Film Festivals Awards Ceremony in support of Australians with disability
• Half of people with disability feel ‘inaccurately represented’ in current movies and TV shows, as per a recent study
• Winners of film awards at the ceremony include Australian filmmaker parents with intellectual disability and an Australian with cerebral palsy

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth attended the Focus on Ability Short Film Festival recently to celebrate the success of filmmakers with disability, a group that is seemingly underrepresented in media and film. 

Researchers of one study found that people with disability are ‘34 percent more likely to feel they’re not represented enough in the media and more than half [of people with disability] say they’re inaccurately represented.’

At this year’s Focus on Ability Short Film Festival, Compare the Parents, a film made by a group called Positive Powerful Parents won the Judge’s Choice Award— Official Selection Short Film.

Positive Powerful Parents, a self-advocacy group run by and for parents with intellectual disability, created Compare the Parents to illustrate the reality of a new parent with intellectual disability, compared to a new parent without disability, based on their own experiences.

You can watch the winning entry on the Focus on Ability website. 

Intellectual disability can impact a person’s ability to learn new skills and affect everyday independence, although this can vary greatly among the approximately 450,000 Australians with intellectual disability.

This team of filmmakers received prizes including return flights to the Sundance Film Festival to see their film played, accommodation, career sessions, mentoring sessions and the opportunity to be a featured guest on podcasts such as ‘Meet The Biz.’ 

Another filmmaker, Shriya Rangaraju, was awarded a Viewers’ Choice Award for the Australian film with the Most Online Votes: Unleashing Potential – Embracing Ability over Disability.

Shriya lives with cerebral palsy, according to her personal YouTube channel and her short film submission detailed her journey to find employment as an Australian with disability.

Cerebral palsy can affect a person’s posture and movement, although symptoms vary between each person living with the condition.

Minister Rishworth attended the event in support of the International Day of People with Disability program and commented on the importance of visibility for people with disability.

“We also know that for young people, particularly young people with disability, that honest, accurate representation is crucial in helping to establish their own unique sense of identity,” she said.

The Focus on Ability Award night was also attended by actors including Paula Duncan from The Young Doctors, Nick Hardcastle from Home and Away and Travis Jeffrey from Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Judy Nunn and Bruce Venables, Australian actors in Home and Away and Paperback Hero, respectively, were also at the awards ceremony. Judy Nunn is also a published author of more than 18 novels.

Actors Judy Nunn and Bruce Venables showed their support at the awards ceremony. [Source: Ian Barnes; supplied]

 

The first Focus on Ability Short Film Festival was held in Western Australia and was founded in 2009. 

Although the short film festival is a step in the right direction for Australian film directors and actors with disability, the visibility of people with disability in media is not yet equal to people without disability.

While more characters with disability are being included in movies and TV shows, an analysis of 518 film productions from 2019 highlighted that 95.8 percent of the video content didn’t feature a disability theme.

Approximately 100 years ago, there was ‘only one video production featuring a disability theme.’

Despite this, some people with disability have achieved global stardom as actors, including:

• Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones who has dwarfism;
• Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things who is partially deaf; and
• Lauren Elizabeth Potter from Glee who has Down syndrome.

Peter Dinklage won an Emmy in 2015 for his performance in Game of Thrones. [Source: Jaguar PS; Shutterstock]

 

Other upcoming awards for people with disability include the 2024 Autism Queensland Recognition Awards to ‘celebrate the outstanding achievements of autistic people, their parents and carers as well as schools and early childhood education services supporting autistic children.’

While nominations closed recently, finalists in each category will be notified in November, with a presentation ceremony at Government House Queensland to be held to announce the winners.

Approximately 5.5 million Australians live with disability, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

 

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