New film explores communicating with Simi

Good communication is a challenge for everyone, but for those living with disabilities, every day can bring obstacles between individuals and their world. Fortunately, new technology and understanding is also breaking down these barriers. A forthcoming short film from Suffolk Park’s Andy Bambach and Ballina’s Suzie Whiteman explores these issues in a very personal way.

Teenager Simi (Nissim) Ghinsberg is both subject and creative collaborator on Simi – These Are The Sounds I Make, which is currently in the final stages of post-production. The filmmakers told The Echo that although Simi is technically non-verbal, she can communicate in her own way, with her opinions also informing the filmmaking process.

Suzie Whiteman explained, ‘We have tried to practise what they now refer to in disability as supported decision making.’ This meant Simi was able to have input on everything from costume choices to who else would appear in the film, to shot selection.

‘We’ve downloaded all the edits onto her iPad, so she can look at them, and when we’re with her, she gets out the iPad and shows us,’ said Ms Whiteman. ‘We ask, are you happy with that? And she will definitely let us know if she’s not happy! So we’re confident when she’s happy with the content.

‘As someone involved in disability, I’ve often been in seminars when they’re showing a film of how to deal with someone, and it’s often someone behaving badly. I wonder how that person feels about that film? Did they realise that they would be shown in this seminar in a bad manner or whatever? Because some of these films hang around forever.

‘So we’ve been saying to Simi, this is going to be your toolkit for the rest of your life, this is going to be with you forever. As filmmakers, we’ve tried to include her as much as possible.’

Ballina locations

Simi goes to Biala School in Ballina, and quite a lot of scenes in the film were shot in well known Ballina locations, including local beaches and the Shaws Bay hotel dance floor, where Simi and her mates show off their moves, dancing to a local band after arriving by limousine.

Suzie Whiteman coordinates a disability group in Ballina, and says it became clear during COVID and since that the young people just loved being outside. She says the mouse-surfing man who features in the film (you’ll understand when you see it!) was one of the local characters who became ‘part of the crew’ at that time. ‘It’s wonderful how connections can be made in small places.’

After working with Simi for years, Ms Whiteman introduced her to filmmaking partner Andy Bambach, from In Your Face Productions, which led to the current film. ‘It’s like we’ve all become one big happy family,’ she said.

Simi – These Are The Sounds I Make was funded by a small grant from the NSW Council of Intellectual Disability, with additional mentoring assistance from CASE (Contemporary Art Space and Exhibition), and practical support from Simi’s mother, as well as other parents and carers.

Communication and decision-making

‘I have a few people in my group that are leaving high school and going into supported living,’ explained Suzie Whiteman. ‘And they’ve all got intellectual disability.

‘Often I’m trying advocate for them, so I became interested in the supported decision-making process and did some courses in it, thinking that will improve my practice and communication with people who are nonverbal or can’t make decisions for themselves.’

When the filmmakers decided to do a project around supportive decision-making, they realised Simi would be the perfect focus. ‘She identifies as having many disabilities, including an intellectual disability, and can’t actually speak for herself, at least not in a conventional way, which means she often hasn’t been allowed to make her own decisions,’ said Ms Whiteman.

‘The two girls that she chose to be in the film are very similar; they don’t make decisions for themselves, and they’re not very verbal. So we thought, isn’t this an interesting project to make with Simi and her two friends?’

For experienced filmmaker Andy Bambach, the project brought some unique challenges, with lapel mics having to be abandoned early on in favour of the camera mic, and the drone ending up being used more as a handheld camera than being up in the air.

He says the shooting ratio was enormous, with a lot of what was happening being very unpredictable, but is happy with the magic moments that were captured.

Mr Bambach also sings on the soundtrack. ‘Yes, I wrote songs specifically for this film, about Simi. I tried to imagine her world in my head.’ His featured song ‘These Are The Sounds I Make’ includes a lot of Simi’s nonverbal sounds, with spaces intentionally left for her to react in her own way.

‘She’s very, very aware of her surroundings and what people are thinking and saying about her. And she’s not always included. So this is more recalled from her point of view,’ he explained.

Are you encouraging viewers to change the way they approach disabled people, and not assume whatever is happening can’t be understood?

‘Yeah, that’s very true,’ said Suzie Whiteman. ‘And we also looked at it as a bit of a toolkit for Simi, who’s leaving school soon.

‘Not meaning to be negative at all, but you know how sometimes these people end up with a support worker that takes them to play bingo, and then they’re eating bad food, or whatever. So we’ve made a whole lot of conversation cards, which were inspired by Simi, that allow her to say things like “I like to go to the beach”, and “I like to do swimming”.

‘These are on her iPad too, this is part of her communication. Also, this is a way for Simi to create new connections, with people, into the future.’

Andy Bambach said, ‘It’s been quite a wonderful experience working with Simi because we’ve become friends through this whole process. She’ll come and search me out and she can almost say Andy properly now! It’s been wonderful getting to know her and putting my head inside her world for a while.’

Simi – These Are The Sounds I Make has been entered in Byron All Shorts, and other local festivals, as well as international film festivals with a particular focus on disability. Stay tuned when it pops up somewhere near you!