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Bus Stop Films

Bus Stop Films

Formation	2009
Founder	Genevieve Clay-Smith and Eleanor Winkler
Type	Non Profit Organisation
Headquarters	Suite 508 50 Holt Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Key people	Tracey Corbin-Matchett (Current CEO)
Website	https://www.busstopfilms.com.au

Bus Stop Films (BSF) is a non profit organisation that provides an attainable film studies program directed to people with an intellectual disability and others from disadvantaged communities. The organisation is voluntarily run and is based in Sydney, with workshops expanding to Canberra and Wollongong . It was co-founded in 2009 by Genevieve Clay-Smith and Eleanor Winkler after the pair worked together on the Tropfest 2009 award winning short film 'Be my Brother'. The organisation's specialises in providing industry experience and employment opportunities on professional sets, education and training resources as well as inclusive filmmaking for people from diverse and marginalized backgrounds. Tracey Corbin-Matchett became CEO in July 2019, succeeding Genevieve Clay Smith, who served as CEO from the organisation's establishment in 2009.

History

Whilst studying filmmaking at university in 2007, Genevieve received the opportunity to create a documentary for 'Down Syndrome NSW' after replying to a newspaper article at the young age of 19 . She spent time two years working on the documentary, working with 6 families during this "life changing" experience. One of the participants, Gerard O'Dwyer, caught the eye of the inspiring filmmaker after he unexpectedly quoted a soliloquy from Romeo and Juliet during their first meeting. Genevieve wrote a script called 'Be My Brother' in 2008, inspired by Gerard passion and the barriers the disabled community face constantly . Eleanor Winkler, friend and mentor of Genevieve, accepted the opportunity to work on the project as a producer, providing the knowledge and experience of producing film as well as having previous experience working with disabled people in the film industry during acting workshops . Gerard played the lead role in the short film, with a further 5 people with disabilities fulfilling crew roles on set . Filming concluded in 2009 and the film was enter into Tropfest, the world's largest short film festival. 'Be my Brother' won Tropfest 2009 for best short film and Gerard O'Dwyer won best actor at the festival. The success of the short film prompted the beginning of Bus Stop Films as Eleanor and Genevieve wanted to create more projects like 'Be my Brother', combining workshops and practical filmmaking opportunities to people with disabilities who usually face exclusion in education and workplace opportunities . The short film also inspired the name of the organisation, as it was set at a Bus Stop.

Mission

Disabled people are commonly excluded from adequate training and employment due to the social and financial challenges they face which can have a great impact on income, skills and contribution to society . For example, prior to the success of 'Be my Brother', Gerard O'Dwyer found it difficult to be noticed in the film industry due to being a young man with Down Syndrome . The short film's success was the catalyst for the non-profit organization and prompted the overarching goal to demonstrate that "access and involvement make a difference" .

Through providing workshop participation and industry experience, Bus Stop Films aims to provide a pathway for participating in filmmaking for marginalised communities, break down barriers of entry to the industry, build skills and allow a safe environment for learning . The company aims to build students confidence to pursue goals and become more independent whilst making students more employable .

Bus Stop Films engage in the creation of professional short films to help address societal wide problems regarding the disabled community including raising important awareness, breaking down social stigmas and providing an insight into a different human perspective .

Current Operations

Section will explore the growth of the organisation and how the organisation is currently operating to fulfil the aforementioned mission.

- Current projects

Notable Members

Gerald, Genevieve, Elenonor, Tracy

Filmography

- List of Films, genre of film, quick synopsis, year created

Year	Project Name	Overview
2009	Be My Brother	A story about a young disabled man who attempts to change the perspective of two people he meets at a bus stop using a dictaphone and his charm. The film won the best film award and best male actor at Tropfest 2009 Gerard O'Dwyer, a young male actor who has Down Syndrome, inspired the creation of the film and played the lead role. Be My Brother has been screen globally and has been used as an educational resource for organisations, schools and communities regarding the inclusiveness of disabled people in the workplace The short film is also listed as a related text for the Higher School Certificate
2009	Frances And Annie	This short mystery film tells the story of a young woman who faces an unexpected tragedy when visiting her new neighbors, with her judgement on the situation depending on a face and a note.
2010	Beautiful	The story of two people living with disabilities who build a relationship whilst dealing through family and societal issues. 'Beautiful' was created in Canberra with the help of Through a Different Lens Project and was inspired by the experiences of the disabled people within the area.
2012	The Interviewer	The award winning short film about a man called Thomas Howell who endures an unusual interview with a prestigious law firm
2013	I Am Emmanuel
2014	Heartbreak & Beauty
2014	Work Mate
2016	Gambling With Minds
2017	Gratus
2017	Kill Off
2018	Broken

References

{{Non Profit Organisations in Australia}}