King of my Castle (Robert King, Australia, 2023) is a short film presented in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival. While we do not reveal the full story here, the film speaks to themes of achievement, control, freedom and independence in the context of physical disability. It confronts stereotypes, stigma and prejudice, and considers the role of support and inclusion in everyday life. Visually and emotionally, it invites viewers to reconsider assumptions about individuals who use a wheelchair and to celebrate personal agency. Robert King's film offers moments that linger after the screening and complements the festival’s celebration of diverse abilities.
My name is Robert King. I live in my own apartment. I have lived here for over a year now. By myself. This has been my dream my whole life. I waited for this for a long, long time. Now I am the king of my castle. I am a man with ideas, ambitions, love and humor. I am very determined. My mates describe me as kind hearted. I am always looking out for others. I am great at asking for help, which is a really important skill. My dear sister, Jennifer, was born when I was 8 years old. My mum Lola and my sister Jennifer have always been the most important people in my life who I love so much. After I left home, I lived in institutions with hundreds of other people with disability. Two years ago, the Stockton Centre closed down and I was moved into a group home with 4 other men with disability. This is not where I wanted to live. For most of that time, I wanted to live in my own home. People said I wouldn't make it on my own. For too long, people have tried to tell me where I should live and how I should live but I have always had my own ideas. I have always wanted a place of my own. I have always wanted my own privacy. Technology is really important to me. I learnt how to call for help if I need it, day and night. I learnt how to get around my local area safely. I learnt how to open my own front door and turn on my own lights. It feels great to be independent. All my life I have always had nurses and support workers around me so it took me some time and some practice said that I could be confident to spend some time by myself. But I always knew I could do it. My privacy and freedom are so important to me after years of living by other people's rules. I also love having time by myself, getting out and about on the streets of Newcastle. The best thing for me now is that I make my own decisions about everything. I am in the driver's seat. I decide who comes through the door and what I do with my time. My passions are music, travelling, making TikTok videos and spending time with people I love, especially my family. I love my family very much. My mum lives in a nursing home. She recently came to visit me in my new apartment for the first time. We had a wonderful day. She was so proud of me. My sister Jennifer and my brother-in-law Stuart moved back to Newcastle when I moved out of Stockton Centre. This made me very happy. I love spending time with them every Sunday. We go out and have lunch together. I have a circle of support, a group of my friends and family who meet together every month. People who believe in me and who support me to do what I want to do. We make plans together and my circle helps me to put them into action. Planning with my family and friends helps me to stay strong. I have a great team of support workers. I choose my own team myself. I recruit them. I run my own interviews and I train them myself. I love being in control. I love living in the city as everything is very close. I live right next to the tram line. I travel around Newcastle on the tram on my own now. I feel like part of my community. One of my favourite people since I moved into town is Darren who runs the local food workshop near my home. Darren is my good friend and he is always supporting me and including me in his shop. I interviewed Darren about how we got to know each other. I remember you whirling in here on one of the first days and we did the introduction and then a few days later I received an invitation in the mail for a housewarming if I believe that was right. We came over there and had a lovely barbecue and a few drinks and got to know each other a bit better. Now most days we spend a bit of time together in the shop. Rob and I have a saying. Some customers will come in and be really friendly. There will be some other customers who aren't too sure whether to say hello or not to say hello. Some of them are just plain arrogant at times, aren't they Robbie? We have a bit of a laugh when they leave and we always say it doesn't cost much to say hello, does it Rob? That's our favourite saying. There's no doubt that he's having an impact on the local people. He's a well known identity I guess. I have really big plans for the future. I want to become a successful businessman and filmmaker. I want to travel around the country and maybe across the world. I love my new life. I love getting out and about and doing different things every day. I love being free. If you see me out and about, come say good day. Cut Rob, cut. He's in action.
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King of my Castle by Robert King (2023)
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