Easterseals Disability Film Challenge

My name is Jazz dos Santos, and  I am working together with my good friend  Ashton Hicks, to create a short film for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.

The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is a film competition that is based in California, USA. The competition is similar to the 48 Hour Film competition we have here in New Zealand, where you have to write, shoot, and edit a short film over one weekend. The difference with this film competition, is that it must include someone with a disability. The aim of the competition is to give people with disabilities a chance to work in front or behind the camera. 

Ashton and I are lucky enough to have Jono Heaps on board as our lead actor for the film. Jono is blind, and also a self employed musician. He is well known in the Auckland area for busking on busy Queen St, as well as doing gigs and functions. He is a talented singer, keyboardist, and harmonica player.

The rules for the competition state that everyone involved in making the film must be unpaid volunteers. However, we want to ensure we cover all costs for the cast and crew, to thank them for volunteering their time. We want to raise about $500 to cover the costs for the shoot weekend. Expenses include:

- Catering for the cast and crew
- Petrol and parking reimbursements for cast and crew
- Equiptment and gear hire
- Competition entry fee

Any extra money we may raise will go towards the hire of props and costumes. 

From this, we want to be able to showcase that people with disabilities are more than able to have roles in the film industry, whether it be as actors, directors or writers. We also want to give Jono some exposure for his business as an entertainer.

We are one of the only New Zealand entries in this competition. So if we do well, it will put us on the map!

Thank you!