Speech Transcript: Bus Stop Films Canberra Showcase

13/12/22

Arc Cinema, National Film and Sound Archive, Acton, ACT

In attendance His Excellency, General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd). And Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley.

Dan Sanguineti:

Good Evening!

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, the Traditional Custodians of this land. I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, extending that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that are here at tonight’s screening.

This year our wonderful students embarked on an incredible filmmaking journey, to learn what it takes to make a short film, collaboratively and inclusively. 

I am so proud of every single student, for what you have achieved this year. You are all amazing, kind and beautiful people and I am honored to have supported you to make this year’s film.

I am also grateful and humbled by all the talented people who have supported, guided and made this year’s film possible, being the entire cast and crew. My deepest gratitude to Ellen Britton who has been leading the charge in the classroom these last couple of months. She has done wonderful work with post production of our film.

I also want to express my gratitude to Lil Paterson. Lil was our incredible support worker, and a talented filmmaker, who midway through the year, after many dedicated years of service with Bus Stop Films, left Australia to move to England with their partner to take up a new opportunity.

We have definitely missed Lil, but we are very proud of everything they have contributed to our class. I would like to acknowledge Lil’s kindness, patience, creative spirit, love and care for our students and for everything they did to make our projects, over the last couple of years, amazing.

Tonight really is a celebration. Because - and I say this often to so many aspiring and emerging filmmakers - Filmmaking is not an easy thing to so. But it is so rewarding. To make a film inclusively - that means so much, to everyone involved in that production.

And because Filmmaking is not an easy thing to do, any form of it is an incredible achievement. The films we are watching tonight are worthy of our support, cheers, applause, celebrations and high fives. Through this we acknowledge not only the names in the credits, but the individuals that supports each person who works on the film - a support worker, a parent, a sibling, a partner and a friend. 

The core inclusive values that Bus Stop Films share with all of us, consistently drives us to be better filmmakers. 

What inclusion means to me, is about us valuing and acknowledging everyone, seeking consent and consulting diverse voices, supporting and mentoring all filmmakers, and accepting and loving - everything and everyone. Inclusion to me is about giving quiet voices a chance to be heard!

And thanks to everything that is Bus Stop Films - I am a better Filmmaker. 

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy our film - Dungeons, Goblins and Broccoli 

🎥

Bus Stop Films Wins ACT Chief Minister's Inclusion Award

We won!

Bus Stop Films Canberra won the ACT Chief Minister’s Inclusion Award for Education and Training!

Today we got to celebrate together as a class, after Wednesday’s awards dinner.

Filmmaking in Canberra continues to see such increasing growth and success and this in part has to do with every person who chooses to live and breath inclusiveness in their work practice and daily lives.

These wonderful students have had some of Canberra’s best filmmakers share their time and talent to support Bus Stop Films Accessible Film Studies Program. This award is acknowledgment of their contribution too. For every cast and crew member who has been involved in a Bus Stop Films Canberra project, thank you for choosing inclusion.

Thank you also to Screen Canberra for continuing to support the program and to Film Plus for their sponsorship.

AIE Film School also had significant support behind the program this year and I hope to ensure that continues into future years!

Finalist - 2022 ACT Chief Minister's Inclusion Awards

Filmmaking is for everyone. Inclusion is everything.

I'm proud to share that I am a finalist for 2022 ACT Chief Minister's Inclusion Awards in 2 categories.

- Achievement in Inclusion - Dan Sanguineti (@aieedu & @busstopfilms)

- Inclusion in Education and Training - @busstopfilms

#InclusiveFilmmaking is about #ability & #acceptance. It's about embracing a diversity of ideas and perspectives, not just in story, character or script, but also in a way the film's lighting, production design, camera movement and editing are all put together. It's about collaboration.

Being an Inclusive Filmmaker requires giving value to people with disability in your cast, crew and production offices. It means thinking beyond just casting someone on screen with a physical disability. It means acknowledging. It means consulting. It means asking questions. It means mentoring. It means being kind & welcoming. It means being understanding. It means making way for the entire spectrum of voices.

Through my own life challenges, I realised how difficult it had been for me to achieve my filmmaking ambitions. I found that I was resilient. I often fell, and I would just get up and keep going.

So it became my desire to help filmmakers avoid similar obstacles. I want all filmmakers to feel empowered to achieve. All the work I do, is to support that vision, and hopefully make some cool films along the way.

My own story with disability, particularly acknowledging and accepting it as representation of who I am, is only really at a beginning. After finally receiving a diagnosis for Autism and ADHD last year, I was made to feel validated and heard. It gave me the self understanding I needed. All my life, I knew I was different in some way. Now I've begun to understand how I can look after myself better.

To the people who have stuck by me, supported me & held me up when I couldn't, thank you. Your support has meant I can support others.

I wish the absolute best to all individuals & organisations who are finalists for 2022 ACT Chief Minister's Inclusion Awards

Full list of 2022 finalists: http://actinclusion.com.au/about/awards/2022-act-chief-ministers-inclusion-awards/

#filmmaker #filmmakerslife #filmmakersofinstagram #canberrafilmmaker #canberra #actuallyautistic #adhd #idpwd22