AbiliTV (Trending Media Australia, 2023) is a short in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival. The film presents an intimate look at young adults navigating achievement and anxiety while living with intellectual, medical and sensory disabilities, including vision impairment. It also examines group dynamics and the role of television as a shared space. With sensitivity and honesty, AbiliTV celebrates capability and everyday challenges without sensationalising. It sits comfortably within our festival programme as a piece that amplifies voices not often seen on screen and invites audiences to rethink assumptions about ability.
I was diagnosed with it at the age of three actually, moderate actually, moderate intellectual impairment. One day I was at the shops and I had this lady coming up to me and she said, you're from Rope TV, I am, I'm like yes I am and she said that how amazing it is, it really is. I sit there and watch it, after everyone goes to bed I'll sit there and watch it by myself you know because sometimes I get a bit, you know, to see my daughter on TV doing things like that is just amazing so I prefer to sit there and watch it by myself because I get a bit, you know, get a bit teary eyed about it you know because she's doing such a fantastic job. A television show produced at Redcliffe is providing real opportunities for people living with an intellectual disability. The show gives work experience and unique media training to the participants. Now I dropped into the studio where Rope TV is filmed just to see how it's all put together. This is Rope TV. Hi, my name is Ashley Pickering and I'm the host of Rope TV. Hi, I'm Cale Buzzer and I'm also a host of Rope TV. He got the disability via acquired brain injury when he was five, left him with the vision impairment so he has a left side hymenopia which affects what he sees to the left of both of his eyes. He doesn't have any vision on the left of both of his eyes. No, I wouldn't be able to live alone because obviously you've got social anxiety problems and epilepsy as well. So Cale, did you cover any exciting stories over the holiday? Oh my gosh, I've got short term brain problems but I had a fungal infection in my brain when I was, I have certain strategies to help me remember things. Repetition I think. Once I do things over and over it just, you know, something sticks with me. I just take it one sentence at a time. See you later. See you. Anything's possible if you put your mind to it and it just shows that no matter what your disability, you can slowly build up and achieve anything if you're really dedicated to it. Coming up on the May edition of Rope TV. You guys both know what to do. One, sorry, look at me go. You both know what to do. Three, two, one. This is Rope TV. Perfect. They had a really good run. Okay, good. So John, we might do mic checks. Do we do it in Spanish? Yes. Okay. Uno, dos, tres. One, two, three. Okay, we're rolling. Alright guys, ready on the studio in five, four, three, two. Hi everyone. Welcome to Rope TV. I was always that shy girl who would have liked to talk to anyone. My confidence has grown immensely over the time that I started. I don't know how he does it actually. Like you say, with the scripts and following them, that's a big ask for anybody. She had a lot of trouble when she was younger, before she was five years old. You know, she didn't want to be with anyone. It made me felt proud. Proud. Yeah, proud, happy. Thanks for watching Rope TV. See you next time. That's a take.
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AbiliTV
by Trending Media Australia - OPEN ENTRANT DOCUMENTARIES
