About this Short Film
Awesomism (Blaxland High School, Australia, 2018) offers a student-made perspective on themes including autism, bullying and cognitive processing disability within school life. The film brings attention to friendships, group dynamics and trust among teenagers, presenting a youthful viewpoint that suits the Focus on Ability festival. Short and direct, it invites audience reflection on how peers and schools respond to difference and challenge. As a contribution from a high school community, Awesomism celebrates young storytellers and opens up conversations about support, understanding and inclusion. It is a welcome, thought-provoking work for viewers interested in teen experiences and disability in educational settings.
Film Details
Film Transcript
Do you find it hard to make friends? Honestly, my answer is yes, because for people with autism sometimes it's hard to communicate with others who don't have autism. I actually do find autism... with all my difficulties it's really hard to, you know, have a friend that doesn't have the same disability as I do.
For me I find it hard to trust people because there's not that many types of people around on this planet, and with my autism — hey, I don't know how to explain it very well — but I find it extremely hard to trust people because they don't really know who I am.
What do you struggle with and why? I struggle with bullying and things because I don't think people understand how it's like. I also struggle with it and with keeping up with work and stuff, but other than that I feel like I'm fine. It's trusting people and basically working with other people, because if I communicate with my non-artistic friends and I tell them that I'm very different to them then they don't trust me.
Socialising... I feel like being able to find friends will be... I have to catch it. I'm always so afraid of... if I need to trust friends by telling them I'm different to everyone else, they might not trust me or they might go tell everyone else.
Do you like the word "autism"? Yes. The word to me means something very creative. Just the word itself — it's a bit creative. Autism is the thing that makes us different, and that's why I don't like... I don't like being different. Yeah, I kinda like it; it's pretty creative. I don't really like the word — it just sounds like a really ugly word — but that's a lie. The truth is I do like the word. It's exactly who I am. I've learned to accept the word autism when people say...
Filmmaker
Blaxland High School is the filmmaker behind this entry. See every Focus on Ability entry from Blaxland High School.
