The Focus On Ability Short Film Festival annual awards ceremony will take place in Sydney on September 29, at The Concourse Chatswood.
Stars including Paula Duncan, Lynne McGranger, Tina Bursill, Craig Bennett, Amanda Muggleton and Tony Bonner will walk the red carpet with nominees from across the world, to celebrate the storytelling talents of individuals with a disability.
All short films centre around a disability theme or feature individuals with disabilities as main actors and will be shown at free screening events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Launceston, Canberra and Fremantle throughout September in the lead up to the awards. Winners will be decided through online voting and by a panel of judges.
Now in its 16th year, the 2024 Focus on Ability Short Film Festival attracted 256 submissions from 20 countries including the US, Ethiopia, UK, Thailand, Malawi and from local Australian filmmakers.
The festival began in Western Sydney as the idea of Martin Wren, CEO of NOVA Employment, whose mission is to support individuals with a disability get a job in their chosen field. Since its inception, the festival has grown enormously with international screening events in Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, US, Spain, Kenya and the team presenting the winning films each year at The United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and Pacific.
“It shows just how much people are concerned about inclusion; they are concerned about ensuring everyone gets a fair go. Focus on Ability highlights the skills and abilities of people with disability, and it is just a wonderful thing to be a part of,” Wren said.
The awards ceremony will be streamed live on YouTube and the winning films shown on SBS for the International Day of People with Disability on December 3. A full list of nationwide screenings is available here.