Emily Prior wants you to Say Something

Emily Prior wants those who watch her short film, ‘Say Something’, to know that they can stand up for themselves and for others.

Bullying is the theme of the film, which was a part of this year’s Focus On Ability Short Film Festival. It’s something thirteen-year-old Emily says is an “important topic”. In ‘Say Something’, which takes place at a school, a young girl is being bullied. She deals with it herself at first, But then a group of friends invite her into their circle and support her to stand up for herself against the bullies.

“Because a lot of people get bullied I think it’s a really powerful message and I think [the film] has some strategies to like, help people deal with bullying,” Emily told Inform.

“I think I’m saying ‘don’t worry, like, there’s other people that have been bullied. You’re not the only one’.”

And they aren’t the only one. In Australia, children with disabilities are more likely to be bullied than children without disabilities. A survey conducted by Children and Young People with Disability Australia found that 56 per cent of students with disability had been bullied in the previous year.

Representation matters

Emily and her twin Reese were born early at 29 weeks. As a result of this prematurity, Emily has cerebral palsy. Emily’s disability unsurprisingly informs her filmmaking. Because while she loves the process of creating a story, representation matters to her too.

“Yes, I love making films, because it’s really fun to do, and you can create your own story. And also, because disability isn’t really represented in the media. So, I thought if I make films, then I can make a movie with someone with a disability in it,” Emily said.

‘Say Something’ is not Emily’s first film. Her journey behind the camera began with her imagination and her childhood toys.

“I would make movies with like, my toys and dolls and stuff. So that’s kind of where it started. And then [‘Say Something’] was probably like my second film that I did, because I did ‘Scooter Girls’. 

“Then I did a series on YouTube called ‘Five Minutes with Em’ where I’d interview people that I know and that are really cool. And yeah, so that’s kind of where it all started.”

Say Something a family affair

Making ‘Say Something’ was a real family affair with Emily’s mum, Jenny and her twin sister, Reese lending a hand to make the film.

“So, me and mum sat down and we, like, discussed what we wanted to put in the film and who we wanted. So, we asked some of our friends if they wanted to take part in it and they all said yes,” Emily said.  

“And my sister as well was also in the film… We asked her what do you want to be? And she’s like, well, the bully and I’m like ok.”

Jenny says this is something that provided plenty of laughs as Emily’s sister is “so not a bully”.

On the day of the filming, which took place at a local school, Emily handed the reigns to Jenny who handled the practicalities of filming.

“We obviously had the script and we spent a lot of time with her ideas about how she wanted it filmed. Because obviously, on the day, she’s in it. So, then we sort of just used her little plan to then do the film on the day,” Jenny said.

The collaborative approach continued into the day of filming. On set there was plenty of discussion about how they would shoot scenes.

“When we were filming, I would like, come to mum and double check if that was good,” Emily said. “And if it wasn’t good, then we would reshoot. And I’d always come and check on mum’s phone to see like, what it looked like.”

“We were all kind of discussing as a group saying like do you want to do this? Or like, what do you want to say?”

Say Something provides food for thought

For Emily, who alongside acting also models, does athletics and is an ambassador for Disability Sports Australia and Modibodi, ‘Say Something’ certainly won’t be her last film. For now, she hopes that ‘Say Something’ will provide some food for thought for bullies. And some hope for those being bullied.

“I hope that it makes people think about their actions if they are a bully and how it makes other people feel.”

“I also want them to like look at the strategies and see if that can help them if they are being bullied. And let them know that they’re not alone. And if you are getting bullied, tell someone. Don’t just sit there and let it all happen.”

Ready to read more? Try these Inform links:

Robbie Streeting’s Show The World focused on ability

How I Roll lighting a fire for wheelchair sports

The National Youth Disability Summit:designed by and for disabled young people