By Benjamin Millar
A film festival win has put a smile on the dial of Yarraville Special Developmental School.
The school’s documentary, My Painted Smile, picked up a prize last Thursday in the NOVA Employment 2019 Focus On Ability Short Film Awards.
The school was awarded the $1000 NOVA Employment Choice Award for being the Victorian school that best represented the festival’s theme of inclusion.
The short film was a collaboration between teacher Greg Gozdz and student Tommy Lee.
Mr Gozdz said the award ceremony and film screening was a great event, topped off with receiving the prize.
“Everyone in the school community cheered and clapped when we arrived back to school,” he said. “It was wonderful today to celebrate such an achievement and recognition for Tommy’s hard work.”
NOVA Employment chief executive Martin Wren said the festival changed attitudes about people with disability, the first step towards an inclusive society, with filmmakers asked to focus on the ability of people with a disability and tell a story on film for the world to view.
This year’s competition attracted 244 entries from a record 26 countries.
