Local film makers Andy Bambach and Suzanne Whiteman have created a new film about the SAMBHAV disability arts festival, which happens in New Delhi each year, and celebrates artists from across the world, including Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand and Russia.
Their short documentary Everything is Possible features dance, music and theatre performances from divyang/disabled festival participants, as well as workshops and interviews.
Artists appearing in the film have a wide range of physical and intellectual disabilities, and deliver performances which are amazing and inspiring.
SAMBHAV means ‘possible’ in Sanskrit.
Everything is possible
Andy and Suzanne told the Echo they are regular participants at the festival, where they also perform and facilitate music therapy workshops. Their latest film includes material from three SAMBHAV festivals they’ve attended, with a rough cut getting a great response from festival-goers in New Delhi last month.
New material has now been incorporated in time for Everything is Possible to go out to local and international film festivals.
The title of the film is also the name of a song which the Northern Rivers duo wrote for the festival in 2025.
Suzanne said the music therapy workshops gave everyone a chance to ‘go a little bit crazy’, as well as sing on stage, in their own languages, with many gifted singers among the participants.
She says SAMBHAV is always a packed program, with panels and workshops and lectures on everything from yoga to art therapy throughout the day, then ‘amazing performances’ until late in the evening.
‘Also, the magic thing is that we all stay together and travel on buses to the venue, and there’s just this instant connection; with collaboration and a real family feeling, instantly… it’s really special to connect with all these people.’
No boundaries
Festival founder Alpana Nayak explains in the film that SAMBHAV charges nothing for participants, which has nevertheless grown from humble beginnings to be the large international event it is today.
‘In this type of festival, everyone is included, because there’s no boundaries,’ Suzanne said.
Andy Bambach agrees. ‘It’s just amazing watching some of these performances, because the blind dancers, for example, they’ll be doing this amazing choreographed routine. They know where they are and where they have to turn. Deaf performers as well, who have to feel the beat through the stage…. all sorts of amazing work from artists with disability, who excel in what they do once they showcase their work on a stage.’
Suzanne added: ‘Another exciting thing is we get to collaborate instantly with everyone who wants to be part of our workshop, who wants to help sing a verse or learn the song in advance.
‘So what we did this year, we started on the bus to the festival singing the song. By the time we got to the workshop, everyone was psyched up about the song, and people just knew it.
‘In another show that we do, we did [the Warumpi Band song] ‘Blackfella/Whitefella’. We explained to them what fella meant, and they all loved it. There were people going around this festival in India singing it.’
Striving attitude
‘There are all these amazing little moments of positivity and joy,’ Suzanne said, with some severely disabled people travelling 30 or 40 hours by train so they could attend the festival.
‘Then they get back on the train and they’re so happy to do that. They love it, they live for it, and there’s no tears, no complaining, just joy. That is rare.’
It sounds like their art practices are helping keep these people alive? ‘Yeah, because there’s no NDIS, no pension, no privilege,’ Suzanne Whiteman said.
‘There’s just the striving attitude – we are honored to be here. We want to be here, and we’re going to give it our best shot. I think that’s so encouraging.’
Making the film brought its own challenges, with Andy and Suzanne separated by geography during editing.
As Andy explains, ‘I was in the remote Kimberley living out of a campervan, and Suzie was over here, so we were using Starlink to communicate as well as prepare our show for this year, with one day’s rehearsal.’
Look out for their resulting film, Everything is Possible, at festivals over the next twelve months. It’s an inspiring ten minutes.
Andy Bambach and Suzanne Whiteman’s previous short film, These Are The Sounds I Make, is one of five finalists decided by online vote in the 2025 Focus on Ability Short Film Festival, with the winner soon to be announced at an event in Sydney.
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