Louisa Jones has a passion for filmmaking and is among the first induction of students in Tasmania taking part in a film-making program for young adults with an intellectual disability.
"I'm learning camera skills at the moment and lights," Ms Jones said.
"I wanted to do this course because I wanted to get more behind-the-scenes [experience] with the camera."
The Bus Stop Films program has been operating in mainland Australia for 13 years, but it's now being offered in Tasmania as well.
It aims to teach film-making to people with an intellectual disability so they can participate in the industry and find ways to tell their own unique stories.
Local filmmaker Alex Hancock is mentoring the students during the 40-week TasTafe course, which culminates in them making their own short film.
"Just seeing the confidence levels from where they began to now and all the technical words and techniques they're learning has been great," he said.
"I actually have a learning disorder so through school I found it hard … I chose movies instead of books because they were easy to watch.
"To then come back to Tassie and build up a community and teach them it's been really eye-opening and rewarding."
Mr Hancock said it's vital more people with an intellectual disability get involved in the film industry.
"The film industry is quite hard to get into overall and there's lots of barriers that people face and some barriers they really shouldn't," he said.
"If you cut certain people off from even working in the crew you're closing different perspectives and stories.
"When you get people from different backgrounds, different experiences you get a lot fuller of a story.
"Filmmaking is a medium about creativity and expression and if you don't allow different voices in, you're losing a lot of potential of the art form."
Julian Pavy from Lilydale is participating in the course and has his sights set on making a kids' film.
"I've done acting, learnt how to use lighting," he said.
"I want to try and make a kids movie, something like 'Shrek.'
The program's chief operating officer, Dianna La Grassa, said it was important that the film-making industry was representative of the broader society.
"The conversation that we are seeing now within the industry is how do we build more diversity and inclusion" she said.
"People with disability make up 20 per cent of the population but they're rarely given opportunities.
Organisers are trying to increase course numbers and hear more stories of disability from the Tasmanian community.
"Getting into film is really important because it allows them to tell their stories and if they can see it on the screen then they feel like they can be part of it."
"I think it's really really critical that we're showing our whole Australian community and having people with disability is one part of that community but it's a large part of the community.
"When we're not having their voices heard we're missing out on really amazing authentic stories."
The program's ambassador Audrey O'Connor — who has been involved in the Bus Stop Films program for over a decade — is keenly aware of the benefits of film-making as an escape.
"It's a great community for people to be a part of because it gets us out and about, do things and we get many opportunities from them," she said.
"When I was 15 I started my first short film, I was still at school, even though I was getting bullied every day but being part of film escaped my reality of it," she said.
"Being part of films changed my life, it saved my life as well too."
She's helped make a movie called 'Visible' that's all about her battle with bullies.
"It's how I felt invisible to everyone at school, everyday I felt invisible," she said.
As well as creating new insights into living with a disability, organisers hope the programs results in participants getting some paid work.
"We want to ensure it's not just a fun program to come to but they're actually learning and they are building the skills and the confidence to then go out and be employed," Ms La Grassa said.
"I'd really encourage people to set higher expectations for those with disability and encourage them that if film is an area they want to work in, the program is a great fit for that."
