Short film explores living with a disability
A new dramatised documentary by Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) Film programme director Associate Professor Paul Wolffram follows his friend Jon Little, who has cerebral palsy, showing how he negotiates his daily life as a person with a disability. Paul, Jon, and others involved explain what the creation of this film meant to them.
The film is a dramatised documentary, which follows Paul’s friend Jon Little, who has cerebral palsy, and shows how he negotiates his daily life as a person with a disability.
In the film, Jon lets us ‘ride along’ with him and the voice-over of Jon’s inner thoughts gives the audience great insight into Jon’s experiences in a society that doesn't accommodate his needs as well as it does for other people.
Paul has known Jon since they were both students at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington and has wanted to make a film with him for many years but needed to establish the best way for Jon to tell his story authentically.
“I wanted Jon to be able to relax and enjoy the process—that came down to giving him control and input. Over several months of discussions and development we developed a kaupapa that allowed Jon understanding of the production and production process, and empowered him to tell his own story,” says Paul.
Jon says, “I immediately felt drawn to the opportunity of sharing aspects of my life which many people would not even consider when passing me on the street. It has been such a unique and enlightening experience to be a co-creative working with an extraordinary group of talented people who sincerely took me for who I am."
The film was laden with talent and connections with the University. Most of the cast and crew were connected to the University in one way or another, whether that be staff, students, alumni, or former staff members.
Paul wrote the film and co-directed it with Master of Fine Arts (Creative Practice) Film graduate Steph Miller. Bachelor of Arts alumna Abby Lyons was a producer on the film, in her first industry production. “Steph and I were both able to mentor Abby and develop her skills. She’s a pretty capable young woman so it was a joy to work with her.”
"Co-producing ‘Only F**ks’ was a very rewarding experience. Not only did I get the opportunity to apply my skills and education from my film classes to a practical, industry-level production, but I got to play a significant part in sharing Jon’s story,” says Abby.
“Our film provided a platform for Jon to share his voice and story and exist in a space that the disabled community rarely gets the opportunity to be a part of and I’m very proud of that."
For Paul, working with students and new graduates is a rewarding intersection of his academic and production careers. “Applied methods are really important to our teaching processes in the Film programme. In both the classroom and on set, it’s vital to model good processes and create a supportive and safe environment for everyone. I enjoy working with capable and focused younger people and often gain as much as I give. It is a very ako torowhānui (holistic learning) approach.”
The film will be showing with support from the University’s Disability Services in Trimester 2. It is currently entered in film festivals so is not showing publicly.