A Port Stephens filmmaker’s short documentary on a artist living with Asperger’s has been picked up for a film festival that aims to shine a light on the abilities of those living with disabilities.
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Nicky Elliott’s documentary Pearl Red Moon screened at the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival in June and is currently part of the Focus on Ability short film festival.
The subject of Ms Elliott’s three minute documentary is Pearl Moon.
Ms Moon, a former Soldiers Point resident, is a fabric artist who now lives in Murrurundi in the Upper Hunter.
After a lifetime of being labelled “weird”, Ms Moon was diagnosed with Asperger’s in her 40’s.
“She finds the outside world overwhelming, but when she is alone with the beauty of colour, repetition and symmetry, she blossoms,” Ms Elliott said about her subject.
“Micro details cocoon Pearl in joy and safety, and this was what my film was about, immersing the audience into the closeup details – and stresses – of Pearl’s world.”
The inspiration for the documentary came after Ms Elliott, from Soldiers Point, was selected to be part of a NSW-wide film project for the ABC called Createability.
Createability enlists independent filmmakers to create portraits of artists living with disabilities in regional NSW to show their perspective and reveal what it is that drives them to create.
As part of Createability, Ms Elliott was tasked with creating a short, three minute film on an artist in the Hunter area who lives with a disability.
Finding a subject was a lot harder than Ms Elliott was anticipating.
But a chance phone call to the woman behind the Murrurundi Art Prize led her to Ms Moon.
“She was the ideal candidate,” Ms Elliott said.
“She is fascinating, and she’s also very brave. She has to force herself to make eye contact; to stand up and be identified as having a disability, that’s brave.”
Ms Elliott, who runs her own business called Monkey Pants Media, enlisted the help of Newcastle-based camera and sound man Pete Delahunty and for two days last year the pair filmed with Ms Moon in Murrurundi.
In the film, Ms Moon talks about what creating means to her, how she sees the world and how distressing “normal” things can be to her.
“I want people to see me as not a person with a disability, but a person with a special ability,” Ms Moon says at the end of Pearl Red Moon.
“I want to make their world a bigger place, a place full of more colour and light.”
Pearl Red Moon was one of about 60 films selected to screen at the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival in June.
It was then accepted into the Focus on Ability short film festival, which runs until August 7. The public is encouraged to vote for their favourite film.
Additionally, Pearl Red Moon is available to watch on ABC iview.
It is episode three in the nine film Createability collection currently streaming on ABC iview.
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
