Newcastle filmmaker opens doors for people with disability to tell their own
Bus Stop Films, founded in Newcastle in 2009, is hosting its first city showcase. It celebrates filmmakers with disability.
Reported by Newcastle Herald
ShareWhy it matters
Inclusive filmmaking opens careers for people with disability. It amplifies their voices. It changes who tells stories and who gets to see themselves on screen.
In Australia. Bus Stop Films operates across every Australian state and territory, giving people with disability paid pathways into screen careers. The Newcastle event signals the organisation's growth as a model for Australian inclusion in creative industries.
Key facts
- 2009
- Founded
- 9
- Filmmakers employed on Boss Cat
- Tracey Corbin-Matchett
- CEO
- Bus Stop Films is returning home.
- The group was founded in Newcastle in 2009 by Genevieve Clay-Smith and Eleanor Winkler.
- It uses filmmaking to give people with disability a voice on screen and behind the camera.
- Tower Cinemas Newcastle hosts a city-first showcase next week.
- Short films made by and starring filmmakers with disability will be shown.
- The films are captioned.
- Speeches are interpreted in Auslan.
- Genevieve Clay-Smith's feature film "Boss Cat" stars Olivia Hargroder as a woman with Down syndrome.
- It releases in cinemas 3 December.
- The film employed nine emerging filmmakers with disability.
- The group is a finalist for the 2026 Australian Human Rights Commission Awards in Media and Creative Industries.
- Winners will be announced 10 December.
