Through the collaborative effort of Camosun faculty and students, the Sprout Film Festival will be taking place on Friday, March 14 at the Interurban campus. All the short films and music videos featured were made and include acting by people with disabilities.
Organizers Asha Roa, Hannah Blackpoole, and Grey Lagran hope that it will inspire learning and perspective in the student body and the wider college community.
“The idea of film is pretty awesome, because it’s a way in which people can have a shared experience. You’re not going to a class—it’s for the whole college,” says Community, Family and Child Studies instructor Roa. “And there’s no pressure—you just come and watch some films, and maybe sprout a new idea about your thoughts around disability.”
This is the first year that the film festival will take place; Roa originally had the idea eight years ago, but couldn’t access funds for the project. This year, Camosun had an initiative in the winter through its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion fund, and Roa applied. With the help of her Education Assistant and Community Support students Lagran and Blackpoole, the festival was brought to life. After Roa asked her class who might be interested in helping out, Lagran and Blackpoole stepped up.
“It’s really cool to have it in film, because then we can see a snapshot into these people’s lives and put ourselves into their shoes,” says Lagran. “I really like seeing life from the perspective of other people, so I’m really excited to see these films in a perspective I haven’t experienced before.”
The films were chosen by faculty from three programs—Early Learning and Care; Community, Family and Child Studies; and Education Assistant and Community Support. Roa and the faculty wanted the film choices to be a surprise for the students and the college community. Lagran is excited to see how sharing these short films and videos may change the way attendees see and treat people with disabilities.
“Being able to see through the lens of what people with disabilities may experience really opens [your] eyes of how people can be empathetic and treat their fellow people,” says Lagran.
Blackpoole is looking forward to the college community being able to see and recognize how they may underestimate people with disabilities.
“I’m really excited about how the videos are made and acted by people with disabilities. The perspective and storytelling can give you an insight that just hearing facts never does,” says Blackpoole. “Films are such a communal and fun… experience.”
Representation in media such as film allows people with different abilities to be humanized and their experiences shared, breaking down stigmas and stereotypes that oppress people with disabilities.
“A lot of people with disabilities get infantilized, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and seeing from their perspective either how that feels or how incorrect people are acting towards them could really open some people’s eyes,” says Lagran.
Blackpoole has seen movies with good representation of people with disabilities and recognizes the importance of highlighting the individuality of the people on screen.
“Even people with the same diagnosis or similar disabilities have their own interests, strengths, family backgrounds, and so on,” says Blackpoole. “You can’t assume anything, really.”
Roa hopes to start a tradition in coming years for students to participate in.
“I think it should happen every year,” says Roa. “Film is a powerful form of visual learning and offers people different ways to express themselves. It’s a great initiative that the college had, and offered some opportunity for creativity and collaboration with other colleagues and students.”
Sprout Film Festival
12:30 pm to 2:00 pm Friday, March 14
Free, LACC124, Liz Ashton Campus Centre, Interurban