Australian Film Industry for Disabled Nobbled by Bureaucratic Cock Up.

If you are in the film making biz, whether it be amateur or full-on Hollywood style (here in Australia specifically), then a story that caught my eye in the Guardian this morning will be of interest if you haven’t seen it.

It uses by way of example a young chap called Sam in NSW, who from a young age was devouring shows and films and aspired to be a producer. He has managed to get himself a job in Australia’s screen industry.

Bravo! Yes indeed. Many people want to get into the industry, and actually get paid for it, so this is of course excellent news for the young feller. Especially as he is disabled.

I don’t know them personally, but an organization called Bus Stop Films specialises in courses for people with disabilities at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) in NSW, and Sam has gained half a dozen short term jobs so far through the organization, the last being a 4 week sting in a romcom filming in Sydney over a 9 week period.

But there is a catch.

The criteria to qualify for the courses requires a role to last for a minimum of 13 weeks. But as most shoots take less than 13 weeks apparently, it has led to the “exclusion” of the screen industry, as most shoots last much less than 13 weeks.

So, when the program was designed, it appears no-one actually bothered to consult with the industry it was aimed at. Typical bureaucratic bumph.

Let’s hope this can be changed very quickly.

The full article, complete with other examples – and a success story – is at https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jul/17/a-tiny-change-would-help-more-australians-with-disabilities-work-in-film-and-tv-why-hasnt-it-been-made