Forget chasing waterfalls; Sam Chapman is chasing rainbows as the talented young photographer with Down Syndrome stars in the short film The Way Sam Sees It. Produced by local filmmaker Dan Sanguineti for Lights! Canberra! Action!, where it received the Best Use of an Item award, the short film has gone on to receive worldwide recognition.
Inspired to create something more than a strandard documentary, Dan wanted to showcase the spirit of Sam – his passion for photography and life. He came up with the idea of a narrative exploring Sam’s creative process with a scenario that would require a photo assignment.
Following this year’s Lights! Canberra! Action! theme of rainbows, the story they came up with sees Sam miss his shot capturing a rainbow in the sky. Not to be disheartened, Sam heads out on a photographic adventure and captures rainbows across Canberra.
“The truth is Sam finds the rainbow everywhere … It was easy for us to have Sam go and find these things, take some photos of it as we went,” says Dan.
A breeze to make, Dan says that Sam brings so much to the screen with his love for creativity shining through. Having the passionate young photographer as the driving force of the piece is the reason people are connecting so much with the film, according to Dan.
Since the win at the Canberra contest, the film has toured the globe, picking up more awards along the way. These include Best Documentary at the AltFF Alternate Film Festival in Canada, Best Short Documentary at the online International World Film Awards, Galactic Award at the SFC Positive Film Festival in Canberra, International Humanitarian Award at the Jersey Shore Film Festival, Best Direction at the LGBT Los Angeles Film Festival, Audience Choice at Screen It International Film Festival in Queensland, and Best Diversity Short Film at the Joy House Film Festival in Sydney.
Dan, who has been active in the local film industry for over 20 years, says people often come to him with a concept and he will help them develop it into something they can get made. Parents caught onto this and would ask Dan to help their children or mentor them.
“Which led me to meet a young filmmaker, Carl Emmerson; I mentored him for a number of years. He ended up winning a number of awards for one of his films with a focus on ability,” says Dan. “That relationship built connections that eventually got the attention of Bus Stop Films, who were looking to expand into Canberra.”
Appointed as the trainer for the class, Dan stayed on for three years, creating three films before his role as senior filmmaking trainer at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment required more time. It was through the Bus Stop Films course that Dan and Sam met. Straight away, Dan saw something special in Sam– his infectious personality, the way he captured photos every class and how he approached each day; Dan was inspired by the way Sam sees it.
“I had to call him King Triton, very quiet, didn’t say too much apart from reminding me ‘it’s King Triton not Sam’. Another thing Sam did a lot was take photos and Liz (Sam’s mum) would send them to me after class. I loved them so much that I started putting them up with the workbooks each week.”
As a child, Sam was constantly picking up people’s cameras and filling them with photos. When he turned 11 or 12, his grandmother gifted him with a point and click and Sam has never looked back. Refining his skills, Sam has held solo exhibitions, works with a mentor, and is the official Down Syndrome ACT photographer, having many pictures printed in Voice magazine.
Dedicated to helping Canberrans make films, Dan wants to see the ACT as a filmmaking destination with a thriving industry. He believes a step in the process is ensuring that it is both inclusive and accessible.
“I’ve got this vision of being able to give those who haven’t had their voices heard as much, give them a chance to be part of things they want to do and give them voices through film.”
Along with helping others, sometimes Dan gets to tell a story that he wants to tell, like The Way Sam Sees It, where he wanted to offer something different for the film festival circuit. Having to capture 10 items within 20 days and create a narrative, he says Lights! Canberra! Action! Is an integral part of Canberra’s film calendar. Being a filmmaker and producer as well as being a teacher and trainer working on his own films ensures he can provide his students with the best advice.
“Being active and being constant with my work is just as important as it is to stand up in a classroom and talk about what is a film and what are the things to do to become a filmmaker.”
Working alongside another one of his students on this film, Doug Hall, a photographer before going through film school, brought a sound knowledge of photographic practice to the piece.
“I think that also helps people connect with it because it’s something authentic that goes through it. Filmmaking is a team sport, it wasn’t just me; it was Sam and Liz and Doug and Murray,” says Dan.
Liz says although it’s had its ups and downs, this year has been wonderful for Sam. The proud-as-punch mum says with each accolade the film has received, Sam’s confidence has increased.
“It’s lovely because it’s so empowering for Sam; he gets such pride and confidence out of each achievement that’s recognised. It’s wonderful seeing Sam blossom and grow from each achievement to the next, achievements can be quite small and subtle but it’s lovely when it’s recognised by other people and have other people saying ‘Well done, Sam’. I am absolutely thrilled,” smiles Liz.
You can follow Dan Sanguinetti via dansanguineti.com.au and Sam Chapman at instagram.com/samchapman_takesphotos
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