The Screenability of Disability
Fri, 18 June 2021
A still from Groundhog Night, written by Emily Dash
2RPH presenter Anthea Williams says the Screen NSW Screenability program is one of her favourite initiatives. This year her film, Saftey Net was chosen to screen at the Sydney Film Festival along with the work of Emily Dash and Shawn Spina, who both join her for this inspiring episode of Activated Arts.
The Screenability program is a unique opportunity for young filmmakers with a disability to take part in an international film festival with a screening in the glorious State Theatre picture palace in Sydney's market street. A career defining moment for any filmmaker, the chance to reach film festival audiences means even more since the Covid-19 pandemic isolated so many practitioners in the performing arts.
The writer of Groundhog Night, Emily Dash (pictured below) is currently undertaking a writing and research internship with Matchbox Pictures. She has been writing for film and theatre since 2015 when she made her first short film I Am Not A Work of Art as part of Metro Screen’s 2015 Screenability program. Emily has collaborated with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the PACT Centre for Emerging Artists and Front Up Emerge at The Cutaway Barangaroo Reserve. She is currently developing Ever After Theatre’s new show “How to Build A Home”. Emily has a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology) (Gender Studies) from University Of Sydney.
Shawn (pictured below) is an emerging artist from Fairfield in Western Sydney. Since 2013 he has been a Curious Creator at CuriousWorks contributing to community projects including Ritual, Riz, Meet+Eat and Las Rosas and Fairfield's Bring It On Festival. He has been actively involved in the WOW Kids Reporters program since 2017 and led the WOW Reporters to their first live broadcast in 2019. He continues to offer live broadcasting services as part of CuriousWorks Social Enterprise program. It was in a CuriousWorks writer’s group that Shawn developed the script for his short film, Prone to the Drone which was selected for Create NSW Screenability Funding in 2018. He went on to write and play the lead in the CuriousWorks produced short which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2019. Shortly after making Prone To The Drone, Shawn joined the Fairfield PYT Ensemble 2019 and 2020 and began networking, collaborating and working with other artists from Western Sydney.
In what’s On this month Activated Arts takes a peek at Sarah Hopfinger's Pain and I; theAha Ensemble: Yoke; and at the Opera House
Liz Martin and Eliza Hull: Inter the Space Between the Note
Listen here
Read here: 210618 Activated Arts Ep 10 Screenability