Sailability, from Wallara (Australia, 2023), invites festival audiences to consider how perception and viewpoint shape our understanding of ability. Set around sailing, the short examines physical disability alongside different ages and group dynamics without prescribing a single interpretation. Shot with attention to movement and environment, the film offers moments that prompt viewers to reflect on access, participation and perspective. As part of the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival, Sailability contributes to a program that celebrates the abilities, experiences and achievements of people with disability. A subtle, thoughtful piece, it asks us to look again and notice what we may have missed before.
Hi, I'm Kale. I'm here doing sailing. I like to relax in the sailboat. It's nice to relax and getting up a little bit. Well, hello. My name is Isaac. I'm one of the coaches from Sages Farm, which is part of Woolara, and I'm very lucky today to be here at Mornington Yacht Club as part of the Sailability Program. This program is a great program and we're very grateful to all the volunteers from the Mornington Yacht Club giving up their time. A lot of them come here very early just to get the boat set up and it's a really special day out. Brian Fraser is my name. I'm a member at Mornington Yacht Club. Today has been fairly pleasant. I always look forward to the comfort of those who participate. Just today, we've had one of our long-serving volunteers. She herself suffers a bone disability and that's Krista. I just admire her commitment to this activity. My name is Krista and I've been down here for 15 years. I started off just learning how to sail and I progressed. So, now I can actually take people out sailing and get back to the sport I love. So, my condition is degenerative. So, when I first came, I was 33. The first time I got into a boat, absolutely terrified, and I started volunteering. And so, they taught me a whole lot. Being down here with these guys, I love it because I'm not different to them that I treat indifferently. They're just, I'm the same as them. I just need a bit more help. So, I just do it. Hi, my name's Conway. I got involved in Sailability because it's the opportunity to give people with disabilities time in a yacht, on the ocean, in the fresh air. And from that point of view, they have all sorts of different experiences. I had a client who was out and when I got back in, I said to the carer, look, I've got to apologize. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but halfway through, she started wimpering and said it looked like she was really upset. And the carer looked me in the eye and grinned and she said, that's the way she loves. So, all sorts of people that we take sailing get different benefits from it. Some of them just like to be out on the ocean. And they come back, and some of them that haven't done it before, are just over the moon. I said, this is the best thing I've ever done.
Filmmaker
Wallara is the filmmaker behind this entry.
Filmmaker profile pages are coming soon — in the meantime you can
browse all their films in the search.
?
0 comments
More Films Like This
Sailability by Wallara (2023)
Press Esc or click outside to close
Confirm Your Vote
Sailability
by Wallara - OPEN ENTRANT DOCUMENTARIES
