Radical Inclusion - Lessons from Burning Man, directed by Kim Samuel (Australia, 2023), brings viewers into conversations about inclusion, mobility and perception at a desert camp. Part of the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival, the film offers a thoughtful look at how groups form, how viewpoint shapes access, and how physical disability intersects with communal life. Kim Samuel uses images and sound to invite reflection rather than tidy conclusions. This short asks us to reconsider assumptions about movement and belonging, and to listen to varied experiences. It sits comfortably in the festival programme, prompting discussion about barriers, design, care and the creative ways people navigate shared spaces.
I'm finally here, in the line for Burning Man. I've got all my gear with me that I brought with from Australia. But yeah, it's going to be a long day. Mobility camp started with Dale Huntsman, who was out at some of the very early Burning Man's. And there were some disabled people camped next to him and they were struggling. And so he was helping them. And as time evolved, it kind of just evolved into a camp to help the disabled. I've been coming to Burning Man since 2011. And that first year, I volunteered 110 hours on Playa. I knew immediately this was home, because people don't realize every single person is one breath, one step, one heartbeat away from being limited in some way. I don't think most people exclude the disabled on purpose. I think it's just a matter of they don't think about it, they don't have any idea. If you're going to put together a building, a company, a project, an art piece, some of the things you can do are so incredibly simple. Our goal and our direction is to get people out to see the artwork on the playa that can't get out there peddling under their own steam. My first year on Mobility Camp was 2016, and I had just had surgery a couple months before on my leg. I have a prosthetic. I was gifted a ticket by the man who hit me with his car. And he told me he thought this would be a great place to be, but I didn't know how I would be able to do this. It's hard enough already. So I started looking at camps and saw Mobility Camp and knew I would be on crutches a lot of the time and just felt like I needed a safe space to be able to be miserable. And so yeah, my first year I came here and then just fell in love with the people and everyone here. It's certainly a hard thing to do regardless, but I think there are some people who need a bit extra help, or even if the help is just having a community that supports you. I feel like what I love about Mobility Camp is it's not infantilizing though. I really appreciate feeling almost like normal. Like you're still expected to just do everything. And that's something I don't think I've felt a lot in the default world. It's pack up day here at Mobility Camp and the whole family is pitching in to pack up. And it's going to be so sad to say goodbye to everybody, but hopefully we'll be next year. Oh, you guys can come to the Australia burn, right? Sure, sure, sure. You're going to come in your RV to the Australia burn? Yes, I will do that.
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Radical Inclusion - Lessons from Burning Man by Kim Samuel (2023)
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