This month I was lucky enough to win something called The Ben Steiner Bursary, which gives deaf film-makers an opportunity to make a short film. When I won the bursary, a lot people kept asking me how I felt and it was very hard to explain.
My go-to response was to stand there like a rabbit facing the lights of an oncoming heavy goods vehicle.
So now that it’s sunk in a bit, I’d like to try and explain myself a bit better.
Winning the Ben Steiner bursary was like being on a roller coaster…
….unless of course roller coasters make you want to vomit, in which case, it wasn’t like that at all. Great news for anyone who was sitting in the front row.
Ok, maybe it was more like the X-factor….
…but on a smaller scale…
…with less singing…
….and no Simon Cowell.
OK. It was clearly nothing like the X factor.
Perhaps it would be best to explain as prehistoric man/woman once did….with mere simple/terrible drawings…? Here it goes….
While we were sat in the cinema, waiting for them to announce the winner, it felt like this…
and then when they announced my name, it felt like this….
Afterwards, people congratulated me and two things became very apparent…
Number one, I was the first ever woman to win the bursary.
and number two, the finished film is going to be premièred at Deaffest’s 10th anniversary…..
When the after party finished and I finally went to bed, I think I spent the whole night like this….
In conclusion, I think it’s pretty safe to say that quite a bit of pressure comes with winning the bursary but for now, I’m counting this as a good thing and I’m feeling generally awesome. Ah ha! Yeah, that’s it.
Winning the Ben Steiner Bursary feels bloody awesome!
So I’d like to say another huge thanks to everyone, especially Zebra Uno for providing the Ben Steiner bursary and I hope to see lots of you at Deaffest next year!
Teresa is a freelance film maker, photographer and full time cynic. At school, she was voted “Most likely to end up in a lunatic asylum”, a fate which has thus far been avoided. Her pet hates are telephones, intercoms and all living things.
The Limping Chicken is the world’s 6th most popular disability blog. Check out what our supporters provide:
- Phonak: innovative technology and products in hearing acoustics
- Bellman: hearing loss solutions
- Ai-Live: Live captions and transcripts
- Deaf Umbrella: sign language interpreting and communications support
- Sign Video: Instant sign language support online
- 121 Captions: captioning and speech-to-text services
- Signworld: online BSL learning and teaching materials
- SDHH: Deaf television programmes online
- Sign Solutions:, language and learning
- Lexicon Signstream: BSL interpreting and communication services
- Action Deafness Communications: sign language and Red Dot online video interpreting
- Hamilton Lodge School in Brighton: education for Deaf children
- RAD: financial advice for Deaf people
- STAGETEXT: theatre captioning
- Krazy Kat: visual theatre with BSL
- SignHealth: healthcare support for Deaf people
- Deafinitely Theatre: theatre from a Deaf perspective
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- Sign Language Days: Sign language learning in schools
Aliya
May 28, 2014
Hahaha I loved this! Great illustrations! Well done Teresa, I really look forwards to seeing your film at Deaffest next year! Exciting stuff.