Simon Peter doesn’t let his disability hinder his creativity. He has to rely on his feet for every task, including brushing his teeth, sewing and writing.
Mr Peter caught the attention of Ugandan filmmaker Okuyo Joel Atiku Prynce, whose film ‘Mr Ability’ won the international prize at the .
“It’s a film about resilience, it’s a film about faith and taking on a challenge,” Prynce told SBS.
The Focus on Ability short film festival is in its eighth year and this year alone 194 entries were received from 16 countries.
Screenings have been held in Melbourne, Adelaide, Auckland and New York.
The Australian winners were announced on Wednesday night in Sydney.
NOVA Employment CEO Martin Wren said he founded the festival to encourage acceptance in Australian high schools, and is thrilled it’s gone global.
“We wanted to address the attitude of young people towards their peers that have a disability and also a long term goal with the idea that students who make films today will be tomorrow’s decision makers,” Mr Wren told SBS.
This year’s entries have been viewed more than half-a-million times online.
Mr Prynce told SBS a message of tolerance is especially important in Uganda where there are few public facilities that are disability-friendly and children with a disability are often neglected.
“[Parents] feel uncomfortable having a child with disability because they kind of feel it’s a curse,” Prynce said.
“There are some cases in remote areas where if a woman gives birth to a disabled child they’ll straight away try to kill the child.”
The Ugandan filmmaker said he hopes the film can start a discussion that will eventually lead to change.
“We are all human and the potential of a human is beyond the physical capabilities so we need to start appreciating these people and giving them an equal ground,” Prynce said.
