A Gqeberha woman who captured a short film on her cellphone is determined to inspire others after she bagged a Safta nomination.
Dr Shelley Barry’s A Camera On My Lap was shot during the doldrums of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown on her Samsung Galaxy S20 and S21.
Barry, who has been in a wheelchair since 1996, said she was honoured by the nomination.
“There are four films selected in this category and I’m pleased to be included,” she said.
“It is certainly a career highlight.”
The 52-year-old won a Safta in 2018 for her contribution to the industry as a handicapped person.
“This nomination for another Safta is so affirming and encourages me to continue making films and inspiring others.”
The Safta’s will be held next month.
Barry, a film lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, undertook the creation of the film subsequent to securing financial support from both the university and the Ford Foundation.
Spanning a duration of 17 minutes, the film narrates the tale of Barry’s mother Pam’s home in Overbaakens which has been adorned in a vibrant shade of blue as a tribute to the late disabled Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo.
She shares the home with her mother.
“There is a room in our home dedicated to Frida Kahlo,” Barry said.
“The Mexican theme was painted by my uncle Michael Barry ... my mother chose to paint the house blue as an ode to Frida.
“We visited Frida’s home in Mexico in the early 2000s.”
She said she was inspired by Kahlo.
“She was an artist who made her greatest work after her accident.”
When Kahlo was six, she contracted polio in 1913, which at the time did not have treatments and left her with physical disabilities.
A severe bus accident at the age of 18 left Kahlo in lifelong pain.
Immobile for a period of three months in the aftermath of the accident, Kahlo initiated her foray into painting.
Concurrently, she commenced contemplating a potential profession as a medical illustrator, envisioning a fusion of her passions for both science and art.
She died in 1956.
Kahlo was her source of inspiration when she became a handicapped person during a turf war in Cape Town in 1996.
“A Camera On My Lap ponders questions concerning representation on the cinematic screen and responds to the challenge of creative practice during a pandemic,” Barry said.
Barry started making films more than two decades ago and has scooped several SA and international awards.
“Reaching this dream was not easy but I had immense support from my family,” she said.
“I spent most of the lockdown in Gqeberha with my mom, Pam.
“Since we remained in isolation, owing to the pandemic, I was mostly confined to my home environment.
“The challenge was to make a film within one location, which has often been the theme of my previous films.
“I decided to make a film about our home and the story behind it.”
Some of the footage captures landmarks such as the Korsten library whose books, Barry said, had a big influence on her growth as an artist.
She said she also wanted to use the film to promote diversity in the film industry.
Last year, the Zonta prize for a female filmmaker in the international competition section of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, was awarded to Barry.
Barry has held positions as media manager in the office on the status of disabled people in the presidency and as the national parliamentary policy co-ordinator for Disabled People SA.
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