by Dov Kornits
“Film Kids began in 2010 when a colleague of mine from my TV days, crossed paths with me on the street one evening, and she said ‘Hey, I know someone who is looking for someone like you’. She was referring to a video editor, which is one of my skills. She said ‘There’s a lady heading up this community project. She wants to make some short films with some kids in a special high school, and she’s looking for an editor to volunteer. Can I put your name forward?’ I immediately got a good feeling about it. And before I knew it, I could hear myself saying ‘Sure, give her my details’.”
Ten years on, we are speaking with filmmaker Bernard Weber, whose feature documentary Film Kids is finally ready for the world.
“I got talking to that lady, Jill [Keyte], about how we were going to finish the films, where they were likely to be screened, etc. Jill knew little about post production, so I took on the responsibility of putting together a plan. That would require asking colleagues in Post for favours, keeping in spirit with the nature of this project. Whilst I was drawing up this plan, that good feeling about the project continued to grow. It occurred to me, ‘wouldn’t it be great to have a behind-the-scenes documentary about the kids going through the filmmaking process?’ This would mean we have a documentary to show how the films were made, and not just have a couple of short films at the end. I’ve always enjoyed special features on DVDs. The telling of how films got made has always inspired me.
“Jill organised a production meeting with myself and the other freelancers, to plan the shooting of the films. At this meeting, I pitched my idea of shooting the making-of, and everyone loved the idea. But with no budget for it, and everyone already committed to their roles, there was no room to shoot the BTS as well. So, the idea went no further. But I couldn’t let this one go. As we broke from the meeting, I put up my hand and said ‘I’ll shoot the BTS’. Then everyone became really excited. All of a sudden, everyone was going to be in the story. Their efforts were going to be shown a wider audience. Everyone became even more invested in this project.
“I had no experience of kids with intellectual disability. I had no expectations. I was looking forward to this journey.”
The resulting film is a highly affecting insight into special needs educators, schooling and in particular the students and parents.
“I chose the kids by following the action as they were shooting their short films,” Bernard says. “I became familiar with the school and would return to shoot more after the short films had wrapped. I got permission to set up my camera in the playground at the school. At lunchtime, I met the kids. They would do their own thing. Interact with the camera or not. They were wonderful. I really enjoyed meeting them. Some of them wanted to be on television, just like when I was their age. So, they would play up to the camera, tell stories and sometimes act like presenters.
“After the filming had wrapped and I’d become familiar with the students, I was wondering what it was like for their parents. They were the glue of this universe. So, I visited the School Principal and asked if I could interview some parents, to hear their side of this story. Kathy, the Principal thought that was a worthy idea and said ‘Leave it with me. I’ll have a think about who to talk to’.
“I visited the parents in their homes. They let me in, a total stranger, and they opened their hearts. They told me what it had been like for them, raising children both with and without a disability. As I was rolling camera, I remember feeling very privileged to be there, recording their anecdotes, having these parents trust me with their stories. They wanted to be heard, to have a platform, and that was my role in this venture. This film was becoming much larger in scope.”
Hence the decade that it has taken to get to the screen.
“In the early days, I was constantly underestimating the time that would be required to edit the film,” Bernard admits. “I was naive and enthusiastic, and to be honest, I was not mature enough to do the film justice. I put together a rough cut for the school and they loved it. But that cut wasn’t for a wider audience. Since then, I’ve grown up a bit. I’ve sought out others to collaborate with, to help this film reach its full potential. Although I always believed in this film, I wasn’t confident in myself. I hired an editor to help find the narrative. But even our collaboration didn’t hit the mark. I take responsibility for that.
“I sought objective feedback on that cut, and the feedback wasn’t great. Then Covid came along and we were all told to stay home. For a while there, it appeared as if Film Kids would never see the light of day. But in lockdown, with nowhere to go, I sat down with my footage and started from scratch. I took on board the feedback and thought deeply about the stories. I watched all my footage again.
“The parents had given me stories about many parts of their lives, and they wouldn’t all fit in a feature length documentary. So, it was a real challenge to settle on the story that is this final cut. I must credit a friend who is a journalist, who helped me greatly in understanding how to approach a story like Film Kids.”
With the Australian audience for the film secured through SBS, what are Bernard’s hopes for the film?
“I’m looking forward to the distributor having some success selling Film Kids around the world. There are no guarantees in that space, but my hope is that broadcasters and streaming platforms see value in Film Kids because disability is a global phenomenon. If 18% of the Australian population live with disability, then I would assume it’s similar in every country. So, my hope is that Film Kids travels and connects with audiences beyond Australia.
“One of the big themes in the film is the notion of inclusive education versus special education. One of my hopes is that Film Kids sparks robust public debate on this topic. There’s a divide in opinions regarding education, and as audiences will see, education for students with a disability is not as straight forward as it is for kids in the mainstream. Every child is entitled to an education. So, my hope is that Film Kids has an impact, a positive one, on all audiences.”
Film Kids will broadcast on SBS Television on August 2, 2022 9.50am, and will also be available on SBS On Demand
