A B C D E F

10:4 (Ten To Four) (2011, 6 min, Drama, UK)
Guy Natanel,
Synopsis: Immersed within the sensory richness of sight, 10:4 explores one man's blindness through the textures, colors, and sounds of the mundane. A North London flat becomes the site of memories and desires, engaging with the tensions of deprivation while posing a central question: can the sighted fully comprehend what it means to be blind?
http://guygadol.wix.com/guynatanel#!films/vstc5=10to4

 

3.15 To Brunswick (2012, 3 min, Romantic Comedy, Australia)
Gemma Falk,
Synopsis: Created for the City of Port Phillip, this whimsical short film captures a romantic moment of connection between two people waiting for a train that never arrives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5h_mXlQ-tCg&feature=relmfu

 

39 Pounds of Love
Producer/Director: Dani Menkin
Contact: Dani Menkin: danimenkin@yahoo.com
Synopsis: This documentary centers on the international roadtrip of Ami, an Israeli man disabled with Spinal Muscular Atrophy who wants to see the world and also confront the U.S. doctor who told his mother he would not survive childhood. Now well into his thirties, Ami embarks on a revelatory journey across the United States to find the doctor who pronounced his death sentence, to reconcile with his estranged brother, and to forget the woman who got away. Animation, interviews, and roadtrip footage are masterfully interwoven to tell this emotionally charged, spellbinding story.

 

46/47 (2011, 8 min, Documentary, Germany)
Nadine Heinze and Marc Dietschreit
Synopsis: Daniel doesn't feel different, so why does everyone treat him so? They look at him pityingly; they patronize him and treat him like an outsider. Well Daniel has had enough… he wants to be included. 46/47 is a deliciously sharp comedy that offers an off-centre perspective on how people with genetic difference are viewed in the world.

 

A Different View (video, 28 min.) 
Producer: Lori Power 
Distributor: Lori Power 16240 NE 14th St. Bellevue, WA 98008 (425) 373-3389, consumeradvocacy@yahoo.com 
Synopsis: This work is intended to destigmatize mental illness and illustrate people succeeding in life with the illness. Written, produced, and filmed by consumers who receive mental health services, "A Different View" shows footage of individuals with mental illness that is hopeful and positive. 

 

A Few Simple Words
Producer: Jerry Smith Distributor: Advocating Change Together, tools4chng@aol.com
Synopsis: This documentary tells of the struggles of a small group of activists with developmental disabilities and their allies who insisted the numbered grave markers at state institutions be replaced with proper headstones - and that the state apologize for years of mistreatment and neglect. 

 

A World Without Bodies(USA, 2001, 35 minutes)
Filmmaker: Sharon Snyder and David Mitchell
Synopsis: "A World Without Bodies" documents the horror of the Nazi regime with respect to its treatment of disabled people. Beginning with an overview of American and European eugenics ideology, the filmmakers delve into the instruments of mass murder developed first on the bodies of people with disabilities and later transferred to concentration camps. The video provides a haunting glimpse into the medical and social mindset that led to the systematic slaughter of more than 240,000 disabled individuals during World War II. The documentary ultimately asks us to contemplate the impact of these events on our attitudes toward disability today.

 

Abnormally Funny People CC
Producers: Jane Stephenson, Simon Minty Director: Al Edirinsinghe
Contact: Jane Stephenson: janes@mediatrust.org
Synopsis: What happens when five performers with a variety of disabilities and stage experience and one non-disabled comic decide to put together a show for the demanding and unforgiving Edinburgh Fringe Festival? Through the use of both rehearsal and performance footage, Abnormally Funny People answers that question while giving us a chance to get to know some genuinely funny folks along the way.

 

About Love (Russia)OC
Producer/Director: Tofik Shakhverdiev 
Contact: Denise Roza droza@online.ru 
Synopsis: A popular documentary in Russia, it is comprised of a series of humorous, unsentimental interviews of Moscow primary schoolchildren with disabilities about their surprisingly rich love lives. Varied in their disabilities and home lives, these charmingly loquacious children all have in common deeply held opinions about love, their large number of boyfriends and girlfriends and the most effective approaches to courtship. Skilled director, Tofik Shakhverdiev's, camera never looks down upon the children and so it's their world we enter, allowing them the freedom to be exactly who they are: natural and tenacious storytellers. 

 

Acting Blind (2006 | 52 min)
Martin Duckworth
View: https://www.nfb.ca/film/acting_blind/
Synopsis: This touching documentary follows a cast of blind and visually impaired actors as they prepare Dancing to Beethoven, a play about blindness. The film takes us deep into the lives of the actors. We hear stories of their shock and disbelief at first losing sight and of their struggles coping with a life without it. We hear them talk about grieving and pining for the visual world. They tell the moving story of how this play is itself a victory, a type of salvation, for each of them. By opening night, at the renowned Place des Arts in Montreal, they are a close-knit cast, well-honed and ready to step out of the wings and into the light.

 

ADAM'S BAR MITZVAH (14 MIN | CANADA)
DIR ADAM WOLFOND, ESTEE KLAR, LUIS MOREIRA
Synopsis:  "Not being able to speak is not the same as not having anything to say", This short doc follows Adam Wolfond as he prepares for his Bar Mitzvah, and illuminates Judaism, identity, disability and community.

 

Aglaée (2010, 19min, Drama, France)
Directed by Rudi Rosenberg,
Synopsis: Being a teenager can be brutal. 15-year-old Benoit loses a bet in the schoolyard and is forced to ask fellow student Aglaée, who has a physical disability, out on a date. When she rejects his offer, he reacts by humiliating her. Hostilities escalate until Aglaée teaches Benoit an unexpected lesson.

 

American Veteran
Dir. Julie Cohen | 75 Min | Usa | Documentary
Synopsis: Sgt. Nick Mendes was paralyzed from the neck down by an IED and suffers from PTSD. The film follows Nick's journey over the course of five years, sharing his sometimes harrowing, sometimes romantic, and often surprisingly funny life.

 

An Old Song For The Mountain (Taraneye Andouhgin E Koohestan) (2010, 40 min Documentary, Iran)
Hamed Khosravi
Synopsis: An unflinching look into the eyes of broken men. Decades on, the trauma of war continues to haunt the returned soldiers who fought in the Iran-Iraq war. They lost their comrades in battle, but when they returned, they lost their mental health and their connection to the community.

 

Anita (2009 | Argentina | 104 Min | Narrative)
Marcos Carnivale
Synopsis: Anita, a young woman with Down syndrome, finds herself lost and alone following the tragic 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association. Wandering through the city, she discovers her true inner strength and touches the lives of all those with whom she comes into contact.

 

Anna ( 9 MIN | NEW ZEALAND | NARRATIVE SHORT)
PREMIERE
DIR. HARRIET MAIRE
Synopsis: Complex and generous-hearted portrait of Anna, a woman whose routine is unexpectedly interrupted when someone takes her seat on the bus.

 

Annie Dearest (USA)OC
Producers: Diane Wilkins Productions & Mickee Faust Films 
Directors: Terry Galloway & Diane Wilkins 
Contact: Diane Wilkins videowilk@comcast.net 
Synopsis: A short video parody of the disability classic, "The Miracle Worker." Satirizing the often brutal "teaching" relationship between deaf and blin d Helen Keller and her mentor Annie Sullivan, the video features gallons and gallons of wah-wah.

Antoine (52 min.) CANADA 
Producers: Laura Bari and Mila Aung-Thwin Director: Laura Bari, lolabari@sympatico.ca
Synopsis: A sensitive portrait of the real and imaginary life of Antoine, a boy detective who runs and drives. Over the course of two years he co-created the sound track of this film using a mini-boom microphone. This child, who is of Vietnamese origin, was born one hundred days prematurely. Antoine is five years old, blind and integrated into the regular school system in Montreal with unprecedented success. Through a diversity of scenes, we come to know Antoine's schoolmates, his free flowing imagination and his occasional impatience with the adults who try to counsel him about the trials of friendship.

 

Aphasia (2010, 40min, Drama, USA)
Jim Gloster,
Synopsis: Carl McIntyre may have survived a massive stroke in 2005, but his life is transformed forever. A successful film, television and stage actor, Carl's reputation has been built on his ability to powerfully portray human emotions and interactions. As a result of the stroke he loses his ability to read, write and speak and thus becomes an outsider in a world that is built solely on a person's ability to communicate. Carl is determined to overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles to continuing his career but even the simple act of ordering an ice cream challenges him. 
Aphasiathemovie.com

 

Are the Kids Alright?
Producers/Directors: Karen Bernstein, Ellen Spiro
Contact: Nicole Johnson: nicole@fanlight.com
Synopsis: This powerful and informative documentary takes an alarming look at the threadbare U.S. mental health system, particularly in responding to children and adolescents from minority groups or in high risk situations. By pointing its lens at the Texas juvenile mental health system that traps children with emotional disabilities in an unimaginable game of funding, liability, and ethics, Are the Kids Alright? is both cautionary and enlightening. At times heartbreaking, it is a film that requires us to face an unsettling future and to ask the question, "What then must we do?"

 

ASL & spoken poetry at Cinema Touching Disability 2016
https://youtu.be/Llj0Mitn0sY
Cinema Touching Disability's Facebook page.

 

Aspergers Are Us (USA, 82 minutes)
Directed by Alex Lehmann
Synopsis: Asperger's Are Us is "the first comedy troupe consisting of openly autistic people." In this documentary, produced by Jay and Mark Duplass, four friends from the North Shore of Boston prepare for their final, ambitious comedy show before going their separate ways. The film details each member's experience through their last journey together.

 

Assistive Technology Boogie (USA)OC, AD (3 min)
Producer/Director: Jim Tobias, tobias@inclusive.com 
Synopsis: This short produced by Jim Tobias uses computer pop-up animation and a catchy musical score to present a lighthearted "wish list" for the ideal assistive technology: "Make it rugged, tough, and sexy; make it trendy..." Assistive Technology Boogie, with its fast pace, quirky images and snappy humor, makes learning about assistive technologies, like captioning and augmentative communication, fun and easy for people of all ages. 

At Eye Level (100 MIN. 2016, Germany,| German and English)
Director: Joachim Dollhopf & Evi Goldbrunner
Synopsis: When orphaned 11-year-old Michi discovers the father he never knew, he dreams of their reunion and a chance to escape the bullying and loneliness he has experienced growing up. Michi soon learns that his new-found father doesn't look as he imagined, and both struggle to accept their new roles as father and son. This richly told family film reveals the remarkable relationships that are possible when preconceptions are shattered and we begin to see each other's true selves. (Suggested for ages 13+)

 

At the Pub
Producer: Anette and Lars Mullback
Distributor: Lars Mullback, SWEDEN / mullback@anhede.com
Synopsis: You need courage to go to the pub alone when you are handicapped. If a disabled person also feels left out, like an intruder in a world for normal people, every look bacomes a threat. When you expect harassment and contempt, it is easy to miss the love...

 

Autism is a World  41 mins, 2005
Filmmaker: Gerardine Wurzburg
View at UCSD: http://ucsd.kanopystreaming.com/video/autism-world
Synopsis: During the long process of writing, Sue's support staffer Lisanne keeps her focused. Here, Sue demonstrates her wit, intelligence, and compassion. She starts by telling her audience, "If you think living with autism is difficult, try getting into college" and ends, in a tender moment, with a very personal offer to help others with autism who hope to follow in her footsteps. As the film moves to its conclusion, it comes to a wrenching emotional climax. After years, it is time for Aishling and Lisanne to leave Sue's staff and pursue other interests. In meetings with psychologist Jackie, with her mother, with staff coordinator Janine and with Aishling and Lisanne, it is clear that Sue is struggling and that the change is painful.
Sue shares her final thoughts as the film concludes. Her words are simple: "The last thing I want to clarify is that no matter how much social interaction one has, one will never be free of autism. The tendencies to be and act in certain ways may subside but I will always be autistic."

 

Austin Unbound (USA, 2011, 44mins)
Eliza Greenwood, Sel Staley,
Synopsis: A Deaf man is born into a female body. It is his burden and his journey to change his gender. His deafness? Not an issue! He is proud to be a Deaf man. Or will be, when he is no longer a woman.
www.austinunbound.org.

 

Autism: The Musical (93 minutes)
Synopsis: In 1980, autism was a relatively rare disorder, diagnosed in 1 in 10,000 children in the United States. Now it is 1 in 150. Autism: The Musical counters today's bleak statistics with one woman's optimistic pledge to lead of group of children with autism in defying diagnosed expectations by writing, rehearsing, and performing their own full-length musical.
Following five Los Angeles children over the course of six months, director Tricia Regan captures the triumphs and struggles of their family lives and observes how this musical production gives these performers a comfort zone in which they can explore their creative side. Both on and off stage Autism: The Musical is a call to arms, bringing attention to a modern day epidemic, all the while celebrating the way the human spirit can overcome any challenge.

 

Austistic Dissonance (2011, 4 min, Animation, Canada)
Eric Bent
Synopsis: A young animator shares the often confusing experiences of growing up with autism.

 

Authentic Casting
Synopsis: Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, a not-for-profit advocacy organization based in New York City that promotes authentic dialogue about race, culture and disability to create opportunities for full inclusion in theatre, film, television and related media. www.inclusioninthearts.org

 

B-Ball -- The Team That Never Lost A Game (video, 44 min.) 
Producer/Distributor: Dirk Dirksen (415) 206-1621 
Synopsis: This video relates a true story about a Special Olympic Basketball Team that cheats! How else can you explain their record of 135 wins, 0 defeats, 1 tie, 3 arrests, and only 2 convictions? Through the entertaining, one-man stage performance of the coach, meet the center who hugs his opponents and the guard who thinks he's Elvis...this is a testimony to the sports adage, "There's more ways to win than finishing first!" 

 

BABYARM (God Won?) (video, 20 min.)  
Producer/Distributor: Yuri Ukon BABYARMPRO@aol.com 
Synopsis: A documentary/Avant-Garde film about a Japanese girl with a disability who had a hard time in her own country and is trying to face hardship and find her real self in America. 

 

Bad Hair Life (57 min)
Producer Jennifer Raikes
Synopsis: enlightening and comprehensive documentary about an obsessive compulsive disorder called trichotillomania. Affecting both children and adults, this relatively unknown disorder has a wide range of hair-pulling behaviors from over-tweezing eyebrows to causing complete baldness.  Through a series of interviews guided by a narrator who now has control of her compulsion, Bad Hair Life offers personal insights and brings hope and support where there once was isolation and shame.

 

Bay TV LIFE: 1996 Paralympics (video, 42 min.) 
Producer: Tim Flannigan 
Distributor: Bay TV  timflann@aol.com 
Synopsis: This program shows several disabled athletes from the San Francisco Bay Area as they prepared to compete in the 1996 Paralympics that was held that August in Atlanta, Georgia. Interviews are interspersed with pieces that show the athletes preparing for their event, as well as footage from other sources. 

Be My Brother (9 min)
A young man with Down Syndrome breaks down the barriers of social prejudice when his charm and charisma challenge the prejudices of a stranger at a bus stop.

 

Beautiful (2010, 13 min, Drama, Australia)
Genevieve Clay,
Synopsis: Two people with intellectual disabilities navigate the challenges that surround them when their relationship is on public display at the local swimming pool.
www.busstopfilms.com.au

 

Becoming Bulletproof (80 min | 2014 | USA | English )
Directed by Michael Barnett
Synopsis: A diverse group of people with disabilities from across the U.S. takes on leading roles in a magical, rip-roaring, costume-drama Western, filmed on vintage Hollywood locations. This riveting film-within-a-film immerses us in a dynamic, inclusive world, raising questions about why we so rarely see real actors with disabilities on the "big screen."

 

Beneath the Surface 
Synopsis: follows Daniel Ennett as he attempts to become the first scuba certified quadruple amputee- sharks and all! In a rare occurrence, the audience agreed with judges, bestowing the Audience Favorite award to Beneath the Surface as well!

 

Beyond Access (video, 8 min.) 
Producer: The Millay Colony for the Arts and Sharon Greytak  director@millaycolony.org 
Synopsis: This video is about the first Universal Design building conceived and built at American artists' colony. With this building, the Millay Colony can accommodate artists with disabilities as well as those without disabilities. It's a good introduction to Universal Design. (Printed materials accompany the video.) [closed captioned]  

 

Beyond Blind (3 min.)
Synopsis: Chicago dramatist Todd Bauer, who is blind, talks about how he writes his plays.

 

Beyond Borders OC
Producers: Fabrio Wuytack & Handicum
Director: Brecht Vanmeirhaeghe  beyond.borders.film@gmail.com
Synopsis: In "Beyond Borders," children and adults from Iraq, Uzbekistan and Morocco immigrate to Belgium seeking much needed services or to escape oppression and war in their homelands. Director Brecht Vanmeirhaeghe introduces us to a boy with Down syndrome and his family, a mother who is developing multiple sclerosis and a young blind man determined to run a marathon. Three unique lives, one universal story.

 

Beyond Disability: the Fefe Stories (USA)OC
Producer: The Empowered Fefes 
Director: Salome Chasnoff  beyond@beyondmedia.org 
Synopsis: Produced by a group of young females (Fefe's) with various disabilities who are involved in a mentoring program in Chicago, this 26 minute documentary explores their lives with gusto, humor and attitude. Director Salome Chasnoff keeps the pace as lively as her engaging young women subjects. The Fefe's interweave their personal stories with stats about disability and take to the streets to check out people's attitudes. 

Birthday (2015 | USA | 16 Min | Narrative)
Chris King
Synopsis: A poignant, dignified short story about a severely wounded Marine and his supportive wife.

 

Black Light Dreams: 25 Years Of The Famous People Players (48:44 min)
Distributor: minds eye international (regina, saskatchewan)  wmccleary@upfront.ca
Synopsis: celebrating the silver anniversary of famous people players, canada's internationally renowned black light theatre troupe! The company of mentally handicapped adults wows audiences worldwide and runs a dinner theatre and workshop in toronto. Their inspirational story is told with archival performance footage, scenes from productions, celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes vignettes.
Producer: barbara barde & stuart goodman, take 3 productions, inc.  

 

Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy CC, AD (40 minutes.)
Producer: Alice Elliott & Simone Pero Director: Alice Elliott  director@welcomechange.org
Synopsis: Filmmaker Alice Elliott's powerful, yet intimate, documentary about how seasoned disability rights advocates, Diana Braun and Kathy Conour, pool their abilities to keep themselves out of nursing homes and advocate around the country for people in similar circumstances. Devoid of the usual "talking heads" experts and narrative exposition, "Body and Soul" is Elliott's gritty and loving paean to the skills and talents of these canny advocates who know how to stay one step ahead of the bureaucracy and hold on to their home. They know the laws, the rules, where the money is and the power of local and national politics to help them redefine the arguments on their own terms. This searingly honest and profoundly moving film is a vital tool for all who want to make the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision a reality and redirect the automatic flow of dollars from nursing homes to "least restricted environments" in their states.

 

Body and Soul (De Corpo E Alma) (2010, 54 min, Documentary, Mozambique)
Directed by Matthieu Bron,
Synopsis: Three young Mozambicans with mobility disabilities navigate the physical and social obstacles that surround them. Victória plans a fashion show for women who use wheelchairs; Mariana seeks friendship as she battles the built environment while Vasco, who walks with his hands, creates a business repairing shoes.

 

Body Talk
Producer: Cheryl Marie Wade, Diane Maroger
Distributor: Cheryl Marie Wade / gnarlybone@aol.com
Synopsis:  "Body Talk" - In a short poetry performance, Cheryl Marie Wade, and award-winning writer and performer, shares her poems of sensuality, intimacy, and identity.

 

Born Freak 
Producer/: Paul Sapin  sapin@xray.u-net.com
Synopsis:  "Born Freak" is British disabled actor Mat Fraser's journey into the history of disabled performers, Freak Shows. We learn about their legendary disabled entertainers before Mat performs at the last surviving Freak Show in America. In Edinburgh, with a reactive one-man show, Mat's quest concludes in a dramatic finale.

 

Braindamadj'd...Take II
Producer: Jonathan Finkelstein
Director: Paul Nadler
Contact: Elena Richards: elena@apartment11.tv
Synopsis:  This bold, unconventional documentary tracks the intense, uphill journey of American filmmaker, Paul Nadler, to recover and reclaim his life after an accident resulting in a severe brain injury. Part traditional documentary, part journey into the rabbit hole, this is a film within a film: self-reflexive, unflinchingly honest, and a manic and frequently disturbing look into the creative mind's power to reinvent itself. 

 

Bully
Synopsis: Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. The new documentary film BULLY, directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch, brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families. BULLY is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America's bullying crisis. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, BULLY opens a window onto the pained and often endangered lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy "kids will be kids" clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.

 

Bumblebees | Dir. Jenna Kanell
4 min | USA | English
Synopsis: Despite being told as a child that he would never walk or speak, Vance accomplished the impossible. But now he has a new challenge: dating.

Carmela OC
Producer/Director: Guillermo Lopez Perez  fuseefilms@gmail.com
Synopsis: Carmela takes us into the polluted urban sprawl that is Mexico City, and introduces us to a polio survivor and her adult son with Down syndrome. Producer-director Guillermo Lopez Perez allows his camera an unvarnished view of their lives: Carmela cleans houses and her son helps her; they live teetering between poverty and low-income, between isolation and family involvement. There are some tender moments, and some amusing ones--they are a gutsy pair who've worked out a way to survive in a seemingly inhospitable environment. Thanks to Perez' unsentimental lens, Carmela is a vibrant, vivid, slice-of-life gem.

 

Cat Lady (3.5 min)
Synopsis: An impromptu exploration of taking pure delight in cats and cat figurines.

 

Challenge (video, 28 min.)  
Producer: Amy Kaplan 
Distributor: Fanlight Productions, , cynthia@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: "Challenge" breaks the mold and shows people with physical and developmental disabilities participating and excelling in athletic events alongside non-disabled individuals. This program introduces us to people with a variety of disabilities who are rock climbers, wheelchair tennis players, golfers, and downhill and cross-country skiers. 

 

Chasing Cotton Clouds (2010, 24mins, Drama, UK)
Samuel Dore,
Synopsis: A Deaf boy retreats into his fantasy world rather than deal with life after his father's death. A poignant study of grief leavened by the boy's imaginative and beautiful animations.

 

Chief (Documentary short, U.S., 2016).
Synopsis: This reverent ode to the service dog tells the story of German immigrant Sonja Ohldag, who is diagnosed with a seizure disorder after moving to the U.S. in 1999. Unable to afford a service animal from an organization, Sonja trains her dogs herself and takes a chance on Chief, who is not your average service dog. Directed by Amir Jaffer.

Children of God (10 min.)
Synopsis: A young amputee bets his prized possessions on his crush winning the boys vs. girls soccer match.

 

Children of the Stars 
Producer: Alexander Haase Director: Rob Aspey
Contact: Lori Fried, lori@icarusfilms.com
Synopsis: In China, families with autistic children face hostility, discrimination, and financial ruin. Services don't exist. One small school, Stars and Rain, on the outskirts of Beijing, offers a ray of hope. Parents travel thousands of miles with their 5 year-olds to join this intensive 11-week residential course in skills and behavior, aimed at acceptance of the child by public schools. British director, Rob Asprey, skillfully draws us into how hard it is for the "Children of the Stars" to communicate their needs or show affection. We experience frustration, glimmers of hope, the joy of a father hearing "I love you" for the first time from his son, and our hearts travel with them as they leave and head home to an uncertain future.

 

Citizen Sam (2006 | 1 h 20 min)
Joe Moulins
Synopsis: This feature documentary is a portrait of Sam Sullivan, a quadriplegic city councillor running for Vancouver mayor. Blending the rough and tumble of the campaign with intimate moments from Sullivan's daily life, the film is an unflinching portrait of the one-of-a-kind politician.
View: https://www.nfb.ca/film/citizen_sam/

 

Chimes For Tyler
Stephen Panaggio | 2014 | USA | 8 Min | Documentary
Synopsis: A boy with autism can distinguish wind chimes by sound.

 

Click Three Times
Producer: Victoria Sampson; Chantal Marie "Grandparent Productions"
Distributor: Victoria Sampson, 6638 Norwich, Van Nuys, CA 91405
Synopsis: A mentally challenged young woman finds a bag lady hiding in her garage and assumes she is her fairy godmother. Their unlikely friendship brings about healing between Karen and her parents who begin to see their daughter in a new light. Maybe the bag lady really was her fairy godmother.

Coaching Colburn (16 min, USA | English)
Dir. Jeff Bemis
Synopsis: James Colburn was born with Fragile X Syndrome. At 26, he is a child at heart who finds joy in small things and uses his gift of comedic timing to inspire those around him.

 

Collaborating for Change: Instructional Strategies for All Students (video, 20 min.) 
Producer: San Francisco Unified School District, Dept. of Special Ed. 
Distributor: TS Media [ATTN: Alan Broussard] 300 Seneca Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94112 (415) 452-4634, x3119 abrouss@muse.sfusd.k12.ca.us 
Synopsis: Throughout this video, educators offer instructional strategies as well as classroom practices for developing a successful inclusion program. The importance of curriculum modification and the value of cooperative learning are discussed. [closed captioned] 

Crip Shots (17 min)
Producer/Distributor: John R. Killacky, jasonlwc@earthlink.net
Synopsis: Performative portraits of six artists with disabilities.  

Crooked Beauty (31 min.) U.S. 
Producer: Angel Vasquez Director: Ken Paul Rosenthal  kenpaulrosenthal@hotmail.com
Synopsis: Crooked Beauty is a poetic documentary that chronicles artist-writer Jacks McNamara's transformative journey from psych ward patient to pioneering mental health advocacy. This film re-shapes mental health stigmas and stereotypes into a new healing culture and political model for living with madness as a tool of creativity, inspiration and hope. The filmmaker, inspired by McNamara's article, "Anatomy of Flight," devises his own visual and highly textured representation of her journey, including plays on light and dark, birds on high wires, and a wide variety of signs embedded in natural and manmade spaces.

 

"Dan" Commercial OC
Producer/Director: Cingular Wireless
Contact: Tari Susan Hartman tari@einsofcommunications.com
Synopsis: Since Cingular Wireless' "Dan" spot first appeared during Superbowl 2000, it has received critical acclaim from disability leaders nationwide. The commercial illuminates Cingular Wireless' commitment to diversity that includes people with disabilities in employment, customer service, wireless accessibility task force and bills in Braille and large print.

 

Dancing On Wheels
DIR. QINGZI FAN | 10 MIN | USA | DOCUMENTARY | US PREMIERE
Synopsis: Kitty Lunn, a paraplegic dancer, has been teaching students with disabilities for the past 30 years.

 

Danny and the Scatman
Producer/Distributor: Peter Nicks,  ponicks@yahoo.com 
Synopsis: "Danny and the Scatman" is the story of how two people have chosen to deal with what many consider a disability. One is a young boy from Pittsburgh who is well on his way to realizing his dream of becoming a film director. The other is an established musician who decided one day that his "disability" could make him rich.

Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life
Producer: Roll With Me Productions Director: Logan Smalley  logansmalley@aol.com
Synopsis: Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life is a high-spirited, coming of age saga by college student Logan Smalley. Aided by 11 college boys, Darius Weems, a teenager with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, embarks on the cross-country road trip of his life. Determined to experience both the Atlantic and Pacific while he can still enjoy the voyage, Darius leaves his home in the deep South for the first time in a big RV, heading to Hollywood where he and the boys hope to convince MTV to "pimp Darius' ride" - his motorized wheelchair. Along the way with Darius, we see the sights, experience the varied accessibility of America, and revel in the rowdy camaraderie. Darius grows up on this trip, and what a pleasure it is to get to know him.

 

Deaf Jam 70 min | 2011 | USA | English/ ASL | Not Rated | Open Captions
Directed by Judy Lieff
Synopsis: In Deaf Jam, Aneta Brodski seizes the day. She is a deaf teen introduced to American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry, who then boldly enters the spoken word slam scene. In a wondrous twist, Aneta, an Israeli immigrant living in the Queens section of New York City, eventually meets Tahani, a hearing Palestinian slam poet. The two women embark on a collaboration/performance duet – creating a new form of slam poetry that speaks to both the hearing and the Deaf.

 

Deaf Mugger (2010, 2minsComedy, UK)
William Mager,
Synopsis: A Deaf mugger must take along his sign interpreter if he wants his victims to understand they are being mugged. A light-hearted look at the lengths deaf people will go to be understood.

 

Deaf Relay: At Your Service (2010, 7 mins, Comedy, USA)
Diane Wilkins, Jeanette Castillo,
Synopsis: Anything goes in a normal day at work for relay service officers! From simulated phone sex to ordering the pizza delivery they do their best to please. Sometimes the translation doesn't always go as intended. A call from the Deaf Relay Service might just be the most exciting call of the day!

 

 

Deej (Documentary feature, U.S., 2017).
Directed by Rob Rooy. Best of Festival, Feature.
Synopsis: After being abandoned by his birth parents, DJ found not only a loving family but a life in words through a text-to-voice synthesizer. Told by DJ himself, Deej was filmed over six years in the American Midwest and chronicles his journey to become Oberlin's first non-speaking, autistic student.

 

Departure Lounge (26 min.) U.K. 
Producers: Louis Neethling and David Horbury  louis@muttandjeffpictures.com
Synopsis: This dramatization is essentially a celebration of the friendship and deaf solidarity that develops between Sid, an older hospital patient, and Matt, a young hospital cleaner. Sid is angry, frightened by his condition and isolated, while Matt is running away from his responsibilities as a father, husband and employee. They get to know each other through temporary escapes from their routines, up on the hospital roof. Gradually, both men realize that, despite their major differences, each can mentor and lend courage to the other. 

 

Disability Culture Rap
Producer: Cheryl Wade, Jerry Smith
Distributor: Advocating Change Together, tools4chng@aol.com
Synopsis: Featuring ppoet/activist/performer Cheryl Marie Wade, we take a fresh look at disability in America. Not the usual anthropological study of disabled people as specimens, here we assume that, Yes, Virginia, there is a disability culture, marked by a flat out, no apologies celebration of difference.

 

 

 

Disabled Women: Visions and Voices (video, 12:40 min.) 
Producer: Patricia Chadwick and Suzanne C. Levine 
Distributor:  widevision@wvp.org 
Synopsis: This work showcases the emergence and power of "group strength" among women with disabilities from around the world. This audio and photo documentary shows experiences and accomplishments achieved at the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women and the NGO Forum in Beijing, China, 1995. It demonstrates the diversity and commonalty of women's issues. (Printed materials included.) [open captioned] 

 

Dissonance
Producer: Mitchell Kezin Distributor: Mabooshi Film Company
Synopsis: Driven by an evocative jazz score, "Dissonance" tells the story of Barry, a piano player who is listening for love in the Voice Personals.

 

Do You Dream In Color?
Directed by Abigail Fuller & Sarah Ivy
76 min | 2014 | USA | English | Not Rated | Open Captions | Audio Synopsis
Synopsis: The poignant coming-of-age story of Connor, Nick, Sarah, and Carina, who navigate the growing pains of high school, but, unlike most teens, face another challenge—they are blind. Do You Dream in Color? captures their journeys as they strive to achieve their goals: to be a sponsored skateboarder, to travel the world, to become a rock star, and to be the first in one's family to graduate high school. Through their personal stories we learn of the experience of being blind and how these fearless teenagers navigate through it.

 

Dragon People OC
Producer/Director: Rosa Rogers  rosa.rogers@btopenworld.com
Synopsis: How are the estimated 20 million deaf children and adults doing in China, as the world's fastest growing economy gradually opens up educational opportunities for all and closes down its Communist-style protected jobs for life? How do deaf Chinese find each other and exchange experiences when only a generation ago they were prohibited from congregating in public? In 2006, a (now defunct) British TV program for deaf youth sent photographer Louise Gibson, 30, who is also deaf, to visit families, schools and factories in urban and rural China to get a glimpse of what's happening. She visits a family who raise pigs to fund their deaf son's school fees, a factory where 500 deaf adults produce perfume, and a weekly social gathering in a Beijing park where 200 deaf people come together. Producer Rosa Rogers, a social issues specialist, makes sure we never lose sight of the larger dynamics driving this rapidly changing country.

 

Dreaming Awake (5:30 minute)
Synopsis: San Francisco artist John Killacky pushes the artistic envelope with this riveting, impressionistic short that explores the dissonance between the dream of blithe movement and the reality of chronic pain. Driven by a strong, poetic narrative, Dreaming Awake is a breathtaking rollercoaster ride, ratcheting emotional highs with sensual black and white dance sequences, then hurtling us to the lows with stark images of intense pain and debilitation.

 

Drona & Me (19 min.) NETHERLANDS 
Producer: Joost Seelen
Director: Catherine van Campen
Contact: Rob Maas, rob@zuidenwind.nl
Synopsis: Drona, 9 and Arjun, 12 are close-knit brothers from an Asian family that immigrated to a small Dutch city. Drona, who has autism, is quick to tell the barber exactly how he wants his hair cut, and is obviously entranced by the bus driver who answers his many questions about his routine. We are watching Drona through the eyes of Arjun, who is not sure Drona can become a bus driver but fervently hopes so. Arjun greatly enjoys his brother, and finds it hard to explain to him why Drona is not very welcome in his demanding football (soccer) practice. This documentary is a loving double-portrait of two brothers.

 

Edges of Perception CC
Producer: Eric Kutner Director: Eric Kutner
Synopsis: This fresh, well-made documentary takes us into the 11 year old world of Jessica Perk, where we learn about her aspirations to be a photographer, a gymnast a runner, or President, and witness her struggle through classes to capture everything on the blackboard. Jessica has a rare eye condition, Stargardt's disease, that is gradually erasing her central vision, forcing her to depend on the edges for perception. She insists upon explaining her disability to classmates and teachers, suspecting that they think she is just lazy. Jessica will brook no pity, and it is enthralling to be present for an encounter with one of her heroes, Marla Runyon, a legally blind champion runner. Producer/director Eric Kutner provides glimpses of a supportive family, but unerringly lets Jessica tell her own powerful story.

 

Educating Peter (30 minutes)
Synopsis: A documentary chronicling the school year of a third grade class that tests the limits of federal legislation requiring mainstreaming children with disabilities into public schools. The film focuses on Peter Gwazdauskas, a third grader who has Down syndrome and the educational challenges he faces. This documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short. 

 

Educational Interpreting (video, 28:06 min.) 
Producer: David Conyer  dkcntv@rit.edu 
Synopsis: This program is part of a series designed to better understand various concepts related to educational interpreting. This program is a creative approach to assist high school students to better understand the roles, laws, consumer rights and strategies for securing interpreting services. (Open captioned) 

 

ENABLE: People with Disabilities & Computers
Producer/Distributor: Microsoft - ATG / Ellen Mosner / ellenm@microsoft.com
Synopsis: "Enable: People with Disabilities & Computers," and award winning 60-minute documentary produced by Microsoft Accessible Technology Group (ATG), highlights personal stories of how computers and technology empower people with disabilities in employment, school, and leisure. 

 

Endless Abilities & Dialogue On Inclusive Sportsn(76 mins.)
Directors: Harvey Burrell, Tripp Clemens  Producer: Will Humphrey
Writer: Tripp Clemens  Music by: Sam Ewing
Synopsis: In the spring of 2012, four best friends drove across the country in search of adaptive sports for individuals with physical disabilities, and lived to tell the story in a feature documentary film. From rehabilitation patients to Paralympic athletes, the cameras captured the reality of broken boundaries and common goals among all who are active. They went rock climbing with the blind, played soccer with quadriplegics, and swam with those with muscular dystrophy, to name a few. Through their journey, they learned that sports really are the great equalizer, unifying people of all abilities on a level playing field.

 

Enter The Faun (67 MIN.)
Synopsis: The unlikely collaboration between a veteran choreographer and a young actor with cerebral palsy delivers astonishing proof that each and every body is capable of miraculous transformation. It challenges the boundaries of medicine and art, as well as the limitations associated with disability.

 

EPA Poisons EPA: My Sister's Story (video, 26:40 min.) 
Producer: Therese Svoboda 
Distributor: Therese Svoboda 56 Ludlow, New York, NY 10002, sbull@el.net 
Synopsis: Amy Svoboda, a lawyer with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was permanently disabled on the job -- not from visiting hazardous waste dumps, her doctors say, but from working in the agency's toxic D.C. office building. This video documents her story and gives information about how 25 million Americans are exposed to similar dangers.  

 

Equilibrium
Producer/Director: Adrean Mangiardi babymangiardi@yahoo.com
Synopsis: A powerful and provocative artistic short that explores the chaos and cacophony of input that can result from moving from a nonhearing to hearing world because of adjustment to cochlear implants or hearing aids. 

 

Escape Velocity
Producer & Director:  Scott Ligon
Scott Ligon: scott@ligon-art.com
Synopsis: This quirky, animated autobiographical portrait gives viewers an inside-looking-out taste of life with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).Fast-paced, thoughtful, and frequently hilarious.

 

Explore Your Future - Job Categories (18:22)
Producor: National Technical Institute for the Deaf 
Synopsis: The career categories video is an educational tool. This video is used to teach the concept of career categories as developed by the theory of John Holland. There are six career categories are presented in the video. Deaf professionals are showcased in the video. Each professional talks about their career, skills required, and the environment in which they work. 
Distributor: National Technical Institute for the Deaf 

 

Face First (video, 29 min.)  
Producer: Mike Grundmann 
Distributor: Fanlight Productions, cynthia@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: In "Face First," the filmmaker and three other individuals with facial birth defects open old, surgically sealed wounds to spill stark anecdotes about the physical pain of corrective procedures, coupled with the psychological sting of ridicule and rejection. The survival of the profiled individuals affords comic relief and, by adulthood, they possess strengths that shape their careers. 

 

Family Challenges (video, 25 min.) 
Producer: Leslie Kussmann 
Distributor: Aquarius Health Care Videos, aqvideos@tiac.net 
Synopsis: When a parent has a disability, everyone in the family is affected. For children, these experiences may profoundly influence their lives and views of the world. In this sensitive, heartwarming film you will hear from three families including the spouse and children. (Captioned)  

 

Far From Home OC
Producer/ Director: Elissa Moon, elissa.moon@gmail.com
Synopsis: "Far From Home" follows three individuals whose lives have been intertwined with San Francisco's Laguna Honda Hospital, the largest nursing home in the country. Laguna Honda serves as a public safety net for residents of varying ages and disabilities. Far from Home explores their struggle for independence, choice, and control.

 

Feeling Space
Producer: Project Ability / Iain Piercy / info@project-ability.co.uk
Synopsis: "Feeling Space" - Brian Baistow and Tommy Cannon have had no sight from birth. In this documentary they talk about how they use their other senses, touch, sound and smell to find their way around Glasgow, giving an interesting insight into their perceptions of this Scottish city's architecture and sculpture.

 

Fixed (61 min)
Synopsis: From botox to bionic limbs, the human body is more "upgradeable" than ever. But how much of it can we alter and still be human? What do we gain or lose in the process? How are prosthetics or brain implants different from jetpacks or plastic surgery? And why are some enhancements seen as superior while others result in discrimination? Award-winning documentary, Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement, explores the social impact of human biotechnologies.

 

Flying Anne (20 min.) NETHERLANDS 
Producer: Joost Seelen  Director: Catherine van Campen
Contact: Rob Maas, rob@zuidenwind.nl
Synopsis: Eleven-year-old Anne stands out--for her gymnastic talents, her finely etched features, her effervescence. A Dutch portrait, she is the kind of girl you can't take your eyes off. The longer you look, the more you see her 'tics,' caused by Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome. Tourette's makes her body do things Anne doesn't necessarily want, such as suddenly spinning around or licking everything. Anne sometimes finds it hard to cope with this, especially in school, where she's afraid others will bully or laugh at her. To escape these concerns, Anne takes charge by 'flying' through life, so you can't notice anything unusual. 

 

Fragile X Family(11 min)
Produced by Eric Kutner
Synopsis: this remarkable documentary offers a rarely seen and unflinching look at a family with X syndrome (a hereditary genetic disorder that causes cognitive impairment) who are striving to survive in urban America. Eloquent in its deceptive simplicity, Fragile X Family works like a Polaroid picture, revealing itself in a progressive, uninterrupted manner. When we think we have the details sorted out, the picture moves forward, without prejudice, urging us to follow this unique family.

 

Frame (Faces Redefining the Art of Medical Education) ,
Produced by Positive Exposure, founded in 1998 byfashion photographer, Rick Guidotti. 
Synopsis: A series of brief films presenting the hallmarks of a variety of Genetic conditions. The medical information is delivered by people living with the condition and their families. Rick Guidotti worked in NYC, Milan and Paris for a variety of high profile clients including Yves St Laurent, Revlon, L'Oreal, Elle, Harpers Bazaar and GQ. He took photographs of what were considered the world's most beautiful people. But one day, on a break from a photo shoot, a chance encounter on a Manhattan street changed everything. Rick saw a stunning girl at the bus stop – a girl with pale skin and white hair, a girl with albinism. Upon returning home Rick began a process of discovery – about albinism, about people with genetic differences and about himself. What he found was startling and upsetting. The images that he saw were sad and dehumanizing. In medical textbooks children with a difference were seen as a disease, a diagnosis first, not as people.
https://positiveexposure.org/frame/moebius/

 

Freaks (1932, 62 minutes)
Filmmaker: Tod Browning
Synopsis: In 1932 MGM studios asked 'Dracula' director, Tod Browning, to produce the most frightening and disturbing horror movie ever. Tod Browning's took this mandate and created a film which tells the story of circus sideshow performers using famous real-life performers of the time. The film was considered shocking in its time and was banned in places like England for 30 years. The film is often condemned by those who feel that Browning exploited the sideshow performers. Others, however, note that Browning presents these performers in a humanistic manner, treating them as actual characters and not just symbols for monsters.

 

Fred's Story (video, 27 min.) 
Producer: Gayle C. Kranz and Eric A. Neudel 
Distributor: PDA, ggreider@pennycorner.com 
Synopsis: This work is a first-person life story of a man, once a resident of a large state institution, who now lives and works on his own. Fred takes us along for a day in his life and talks about life inside. Intercut with Fred's reminiscences are excerpts from a state-made promotional film for the institution Fred lived in. Discussion questions are available. 

 

Freedom Machines CC; AD (57 min)
Synopsis:  a documentary produced by Janet Cole, looks at how assistive computer technology can help fulfill a diverse range of educational, employment, and personal goals. 

 

From the BBC series Desirability - JULIA'S BODY (30 min)
Synopsis: As a child, Julia Trahan's body was crushed by a truck. In a coma for months, enduring years of surgery and rehabilitation, Julia found a secret key to survival: the power of sexual pleasure to transcend pain and hold her broken body to life. As an adult performance artist, Julia uses her imperfectly exquisite body as both medium and message to create performances that celebrate the power and sensuality of the female "body different", confronting traditional perceptions of disability, beauty and gender. Produced by Claire Fisher for Desirability, a BBC series about sexuality and disability, this documentary is an engaging and evocative portrait of one remarkable woman's life and art. 

 

From the BBC series Desirability - WOUNDED HEALER (30 min)
produced by Claire Fisher for the BBC series Desirability,
Synopsis: Wounded Healer is a full-faceted and exuberant portrait of Pamela Walker, a free spirit with a disability from Berkeley who counsels people with and without disabilities about coming to terms with, and celebrating their sexuality. Fisher's artistic blending of a variety of material provides us with seamless insight and entertainment.

 

From the BBC series Desirability -VERA CAM
Synopsis: This 30 minute presentation documents the life of an artist who uses sexual fantasy, a web-camera and a bathtub as props for her various personae. Vera loves life, and her upbeat, matter-of-fact, in-your-face style is infectious. Sexually and artistically provocative, this work provides a rare opportunity to examine the issue of "devotees" from the artist's perspective.

 

Funny, You Don't Look Sick (64 min)
Producer Susan Abod
Synopsis: takes an almost real time approach to her in depth chronicle of a woman living with the little understood (and frequently disparaged) Chronic Fatigue Immune Dificiency Syndrome (CFIDS). This slice of life documentary shows the impact on day-to-day activities and the measures that need to be taken when someone lives with severe chemical sensitivities and environmental allergies.

 

Gabe (USA, 72 minutes, Documentary In English with Open Captions)
Directed by Luke Terrell
Synopsis: Gabe Weil is a 27-year-old who was born with the most severe form of muscular dystrophy, but that does not stop him from earning a college degree, going on road trips with friends, or indulging his passion for great food. For his entire life, Gabe has been told he would be lucky to live past 25. The news that he was misdiagnosed, and might live well into his 50s, presents a surprising obstacle: Gabe does not have any long-term goals, and is forced to rethink his life from scratch.

 

Getting Up: The Tempt One Story (73 min | 2012 | USA | English)
Directed by Casky Ebeling
Synopsis:Renowned graffiti artist Tempt One loses his creative voice, after being paralyzed by Lou Gehrig's disease. Through technology and the help of his crew, he is able to create art, write again–and regain his street cred.

 

Ghosts
Synopsis: Using motion captured 3D characters, based on historic photographs, this animated short film features a cast of disabled veterans from across the spectrum of WWI as they awake and prepare for the day ahead.

 

Good Service Makes Good Sense
Producer: Cathy Crocfer
Distributor: Chevron University, veronika@fvs.com
Synopsis: This program is designed to ensure that all customers - regardless of their physical situation - receive the kind of attention, service, and respect they deserve.

 

Goodnight, Libertarian (2003, 7 minutes)
Filmmaker: Oriana Bolden
Synopsis: Sick and tired of being sick and tired, Oriana Bolden grabbed a video camera to document her life at the intersection of poverty and health, or lack-there-of. In this, her first experimental narrative documentary, she speaks of the ills of society that allow people to continue to be ill, precludes them access to life-saving medications and forces us all into submission in a system that works for only the elite and able-bodied.

 

Guang (Malaysia 2011)
Directed by Quek Shio Chuan
Synopsis: Guang is a story about two brothers. The elder brother, Wen Guang is autistic. Wen Guang is often misunderstood. Above all, he suffers from attention deficiency disorder, struggles with social interaction, and has difficulty performing day to day obligations. He also has a secret passion. To make ends meet, Wen Guang is coerced by his younger brother into looking for a job to share his burden on meeting their monthly expenses. Throughout the film, we see Wen Guang searching for a job, his daily routines and his secret passion as he searches for the final glass that will bring him a simple, pure, hard earned, fleeting moment of joy.
Watch online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn2MCqVblUQ
Or https://www.viddsee.com/video/guang/nmo7y?locale=en

 

Guest Room (2015 | USA | 14 Min | Narrative)
Joshua Tate
Synopsis: A young woman with Down syndrome (Glee's Lauren Potter) grapples with her identity after an unexpected turn of events. An official SXSW Film Festival selection.

 

Habana Muda (61 min)
Synopsis: Habana Muda tells the story of Chino, a deaf farmer in Havana, who is torn between staying with his family or joining a gay Mexican man named Jose who wants to help him leave Cuba. Habana Muda presents a very real look at the intricate webs we weave as humans in our quest for love, meaning and fulfillment.

 

Hannah (5 min.) U.K. 
Producer/Director: Sergio Cruz
Synopsis: A celebration of motion, energy and elegance of human movement, evoking the power of adrenaline in the young Hannah Dempsey. This short film of a young woman with a disability makes the connection between art and sport, with emphasis on the athlete-dancer relationship. Hannah's aspirations are presented as a symbol of hope that the 2012 London Olympics represents to us all. The film can also be seen as an investigation of movement, metamorphosis, colors, textures and rhythms. It submerges us in a sea of sound, awash with aspiration.

 

Happy Birthday Thalidomide (48 min)
Synopsis: This is the latest documentary brainchild of Mat Fraser, actor, filmmaker and one of England's most prominent "thalidomide babies". As writer and on-screen narrator, Fraser scores his second Best of Festival bulls-eye--his first was 2003's Born Freak--with his passionate and witty around-the-world journey "in search of the true thalidomide story". Fraser takes a caustic look back at what happened more than 40 years ago when European drug companies released thalidomide internationally without adequate testing, and takes a compassionate look forward to Brazil, where today, the drug is showing promise as a treatment for people with leprosy. Produced by Kim Flitcroft, Happy Birthday Thalidomide is that rare documentary that succeeds as both an eloquent personal journey and a provocative cultural critique. 

 

Headstrong: Inside the Hidden World of Dyslexia and ADHD CC
Producers: Chloe Slader, Ben Foss, Steve Schecter  Director: Steve Schecter
Contact: benfoss@stanfordalumni.org
Synopsis: Headstrong is an aptly named, well-paced documentary featuring six Americans whose dyslexia or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have caused major detours in their lives. The message is clear and powerful: if people with these conditions are given timely assessments and the tools of awareness, self-advocacy and contemporary technology, their achievements can be unlimited. Along with his own story, co-producer Ben Foss provides a superb range of portraits, including: a 44 year old single mother in Alabama working her way through a top level university; a heavy-equipment operator who recounts his historic lawsuit proving disability discrimination; and a Northern California teenager struggling with disclosing a disability. Headstrong: Inside the Hidden World of Dyslexia and ADHD is one of the first films to tell such a thorough story of the estimated 20 million Americans with these conditions.

 

Hear This (15 min)
Synopsis: When 10-year-old Tristan wants his dad to become the trainer of his soccer team, the club won't allow it because his father is deaf. Tristan decides to prove them wrong.

 

Hold Music (10 MIN | CANADA | SHORT)
DIR. MICHAEL MCNEELY
In this 10-minute semi-silent experimental short, a young, gay, deaf-blind man faces a number of challenges when purchasing tickets for a musical for himself and his loved ones. Q & A with Director Michael McNeely and Cast.

 

Hope & Solutions for OCD (video, 83 min.) 
Producer: James Callner 
Distributor: American Foundation for OCD & Related Disorders  awareness9@aol.com 
Synopsis: This four-part series reveals tools and strategies for people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Each segment is a presentation from mental health specialists: Dr. A.J. Allen reveals what OCD is and how to treat it; James Callner gives a personal perspective; Dr. Gail Adams tells how to help children in school; and Dr. Herb Gravitz talks about OCD in family settings. 

Horizon: The Ecstasy and the Agony CC, OC
Producer/Director: Jemima Harrison
Contact: Stella Williams stella.williams@carltontv.co.uk
Synopsis: 39-year-old Tim used to be a film stuntman. Now Parkinson's Disease is slowly freezing up his body, while his medication leads to uncontrollable twitching. But Tim's found an unusual, if illegal, way of relieving his symptoms, enabling him to perform backflips and somersaults, and confounding the medics. This is Tim's story.

 

Hose, Cards & Water Balloons 
Producer: Mark Conly
Director: Sean Ehringer
Contact: Jacqueline Garrett jgarrett@cilberkeley.org
Synopsis: Three Public Service Announcements produced in cooperation with the Personal Assistance Crisis Team (PACT) in Berkeley, California to recruit attendants and i

 

House Gang "Nightmare" (video, 26 min.) 
Producer: Gaby Mason  Distributor: Film Australia, sales@filmaust.com.au 
Synopsis: An irreverent and frequently riotous look at group living in the '90s. Three young people with intellectual disabilities are forced to share their rented house with a bankrupt builder and his vitriolic daughter. A richly wayward comedy of foiled expectations ensues. (one in a TV series) 

 

How Sweet The Sound: The Blind Boys Of Alabama
Dir. Leslie Mccleave | 89 Min | Usa | Documentary
Synopsis: Legendary gospel quartet The Blind Boys of Alabama have had a remarkable career. Since meeting at a vocational institute for the blind, they have toured for seven decades, amassing five Grammy Awards and international acclaim.

 

I am half of who I am (2011/12, 8 min UK, Italy)
Synopsis: I am half of who I am is a performance project fuelled by curiosity of the self. Only half of Louise's body, her left side, is medically labelled with cerebral palsy. Her right side appears normal. The project explores her differing movement patterns from her left to her right, and the spaces between. The project is in collaboration with Andrew Dawson. Together Louise and Andrew illuminate our understanding of this physical, neurological condition.

 

I Belong Out There (video, 24:11 min.) 
Producer: Irene M. Ward & Assoc. 
Distributor: Program Development Associates, pdassoc@servtech.com 
Synopsis: Clyde, a man with developmental disabilities, demonstrates a full life and introduces other active people with disabilities. He shows how hobbies, education, sports and volunteering build friendships, self-advocacy skills, and a sense of belonging in a community. (Printed materials included.) [open and closed captioning available, audio described with open caption] 

 

I Dance with God (2015, Iran,  39 min)
Directed by Hooshang Mirzaee
Synopsis: Somewhere in Iranian Kurdistan, Ali Badri is set on peeling off his apple skin in one piece – a proverb promises a young girl to the man who does so… Opening on a light-hearted, tender conversation between the old tailor and his wife as they dine, looking down on their village, I Dance with God immediately sets the affable and exuberant tone of its subject's portrait. Not only does the cheery octogenarian hum bawdy love songs at every step, but he seems to draw his zest for life from a disability that would have snuffed it out in most people. Three months after his marriage, the young postman was blinded in a hunting accident, so he quickly turned to the needle. Finding a balance between day and night, amiable moods and dark clouds passing over the couple, Hooshang Mirzaee infuses sound and image with the acuity of Ali Badri's senses, whether he is relishing a fruit from his almond tree, planting a tree, doing his gym or begging for the caress of the aftershave that his wife puts on him. But the construction of I Dance with God also advances unobtrusively towards a vertiginous edge: a real edge that the happy Ali often almost falls over, though he usually manages quite well; and the rockier and more tragic edge of grief that strikes the couple and belatedly reappears, strewn with wild flowers of many colours. (Charlotte Garson)

 

I Don't Want To Go Back Alone (Eu Nao Quero Voltar Sozinho) (2010, 17 min, Drama, Brazil)
Daniel Ribiero,
Synopsis: Leonardo is a blind teenager falling in love for the first time. He is confident he knows whom he loves, but his friends are not so sure.
eunaoquerovoltarsozinho.com.br

 

I Don't Care
Caroline Giametta | 2014 | UK | 14 Min | Narrative
Synopsis: A deeply moving tale of an expecting mother and how she deals with the possibility of having a child with Down's syndrome.

I Don't Want to Go back Alone (17 min.)
Synopsis: A 15 year-old blind teenager and his best friend face issues of jealousy and other new feelings when they befriend a new kid in their class.

 

I Keep on Walking
Producer: Anthony Tenczar  atenczar@ithaca.edu
Synopsis: "I Keep on Walking" - 70 year old Maggie Brownell is one of a generation of women with mental retardation who were systematically segregated from society for most of their lives. This documentary explores Ms. Brownell's struggle to reclaim her life, and through that exploration we discover a period of medical history influenced by eugenics, commonly referred to as the "Genetic Scare."

I'm Spazticus
Producers: Jamie O'Leary, Richard Hague
Director: Jamie O'Leary   jamie@zeitgeisttv.co.uk
Synopsis: A politically incorrect, in-your-face, bladder challengingly funny British "Punk'd" style television special with disabled pranksters making fun of the assumptions and prejudices of an unsuspecting public. These "take no prisoners" wiseasses are clearly having a blast skewering, lampooning, and ridiculing their way around London. They're utterly fresh and deliciously rude.

 

I'm Deaf and I Didn't Know (2009, 70mins, Docu-Drama, France)
Igor Ochronowicz,
Synopsis: A young girl grows up in a hearing family not knowing she was deaf, only that she couldn't hear. In a canny recreation of Sandrine's childhood mixed with her warm retelling to camera we start make sense of this extraordinarily awkward start to life as a fabulous deaf person.

 

Idiots (Idiotas) (Spain, 29 min)
Fran Estevez
Synopsis: A red balloon descends from the sky and lands in the magic city of Santiago de Compostela (famous for the Jacobeo's pilgrimage). A smiling boy and his dog find the balloon and discover that it has a paper with a message. "Deflate me little by little."

 

If I Can't Do It (1998, 57 min)
Filmmaker: Walter Brock
Synopsis: Arthur Campbell, Jr.'s unforgettable ride through life and the disability rights movement.Arthur Campbell, Jr. doesn't want your sympathy; he just wants what most people do: a living wage, a meaningful social life, a few good laughs and the means to get around. In Emmy nominated, If I Can't Do It , filmmaker Walter Brock offers an unflinching portrait of one cantankerous and courageous disabled man who, with many others, is pushing for independence and an equal slice of the American pie. From the remote hills of Kentucky to the hallowed halls of Congress, join Arthur on his own unforgettable ride through life and the disability rights movement. An intensely personal, deeply humanizing look at what it takes to live with a severely disabling condition, If I Can't Do It is the story of an ordinary man confronted by extraordinary circumstances.

 

If I Can't Do It (video, 57 min.) 
Producer: Walter Brock  Distributor: Fanlight Productions, cynthia@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: "If I Can't Do It" is a portrait of one cantankerous and courageous disabled man who, with many others, is pushing for independence and an equal slice of the American pie. A look at what it takes to live with a severely disabling condition such as cerebral palsy, "If I Can't Do It" is the story of an ordinary man confronted by extraordinary circumstances. (Closed captioned) 

 

Imagine (105 MIN.)
Ian, a specialist in spatial orientation, teaches his blind students to move around without using their canes, encouraging them to risk the unknown.

 

Imber's Left Hand
Dir Richard Kane | 63 Min | Usa | Documentary
Synopsis: Poignant and revelatory, IMBER'S LEFT HAND is an award-winning documentary that chronicles the life and career of celebrated American painter and Harvard professor Jon Imber. A bittersweet and deeply moving document of this artist's courageous and darkly humorous response to a diagnosis of ALS. Adversity only makes him more determined.

 

In Crystal Skin (Short, U.S./Colombia, 2016).
Directed by Michaela O'Brien.
Synopsis: In Bogotá, Colombia, a charismatic 11­-year-­old named Maria lives with the limitations imposed by a rare skin disease. Her fierce bond with her mother is tested and strengthened as they struggle to preserve Maria's swiftly passing childhood.

 

In Cuba, Disabled AD, OC
Producer / Director: Victor Pineda, vikpeneda@yahoo.com
Synopsis: In this provocative pilot documentary, Pineda investigates how the components that define disability in Cuba empower or limit the impaired within that society. Claiming to have one of the most advanced and comprehensive health care systems in the world, he explores to what degree Cuba incorporates disabled Cubans.

 

In Harmony (2015 | France | 90 Min | Narrative
Denis Dercourt
Synopsis: Inspiring, romantic, thrilling. Set in the landscape of Brittany. Marc, an equestrian stuntman, loses all hope of getting back on a horse after an accident leaves him paralyzed. Florence is tasked by her employer, an insurance company, to handle his case. Their brief yet passionate encounter will impact them in more ways they could ever imagine.

 

In the Groove (video, 30 min.) 
Producer: Liane Yasumoto, Jack Walsh, KTOP, and Ceda Floyd, Executive Producers 
Synopsis: This is a variety format talk show hosted by actress Liane Yasumoto. The program explores topics for people both with and without disabilities. The episode submitted to Superfest focuses on the Oakland Ice Center and includes interviews with professional figure skaters and their trainers, and a segment on ice skating for people with disabilities. 

Including Samuel CC
Producer/Director: Dan Habib, danhabib@comcast.net
Synopsis: How can you achieve full inclusion for a child with a disability? Journalist turned filmmaker Dan Habib admits that until his son, Samuel, was born with cerebral palsy, that question had never crossed his mind. Together with his wife and older son, Isaiah, he sets out to learn how to make it easier for Sam to join in family activities, school and their community, discovering that inclusion is an ongoing experiment across the fields of special education, education and disability rights. Including Samuel is the first good, in-depth cinematic look at what is working within the relatively new pragmatic applications of the inclusion philosophy. Habib deftly enriches his film's landscape with articulate experts, experienced disability rights proponents, and diverse role models, including one woman who did not benefit from inclusion, without ever losing focus that the heart and soul of this story is the promise and potential of one irrepressible child, Samuel Habib.

 

Independent Today
Producer: Peter D. Collman
Distributor: The Capital Area Center for Independent Living, collmanp@pilot.msu.edu
Synopsis: "Independent Today" is a series produced once a month through the underwritten assistance and distribution of the Capital Area Center for Independent Living in Lansing, Michigan. Topics in this edition include the Roosevelt memorial and NARIC, a national database on disability.

Ingelore (2009, 40mins, Docu-drama, USA)
Frank  Stiefel,
Synopsis: Ingelore is a German Jewish Deaf woman who not only had to overcome her parents' inability to see past her deafness but also having her childhood stolen from her in the outbreak of WW1. It is her irrepressible strength and spirit that helps her, from the day she learned her first word at the age of 6, to the new life she forged filled with love and laughter.
http://www.ruthfilms.com/ingelore.html

 

Iron Genrikh OC
Producer Director: Alexey Pogrelnoy:
Contact: Denise Roza droza@online.ru
Synopsis: Also known as Iron Henry, this contemporary Russian film, directed by Alexey Pogrelnoy, details the struggles and joys of a man without legs surviving the inhospitable environment for people with disabilities in Soviet and now post-Soviet times. Genrikh Ivanovich Sergeev, longtime resident of a village with (apparently) no social services, is proud to explain how his handyman skills, iron constitution and relentless pursuit of even the smallest opportunity have enabled him to rise above his circumstances and those who give up and become "invalids". The texture of Genrikh's life becomes clear as the struggles--depression, alcoholism, despair and abandonment by his wife--are presented in counterpoint with the "blue skies" --his children, musical talents, respect as a local historian and return of his wife. 

 

It's Our London(23:33 minute)
Synopsis: An unusually realistic approach to producing an access report card of a city, It?s Our London shows us where progress has been made but points out where work still needs to be done. Producer Lois Acton gives us a fast-paced overview from the point of view of a diverse group of Britons - including a blind parent who can now enjoy movies at the local theatre with her child due to the newly-available descriptive video services.

 

Jazz Hand (3 min)
Synopsis: What happens when a woman's prosthetic hand falls off during a dance audition?

 

Je me Souviens: Excluded from the Montreal Subway Since 1966 OC
Producer Director: Laurence Parent, laurenceparent@gmail.com
Synopsis: Je me Souviens: Excluded from the Montreal Subway Since 1966, is Laurence Parent's passionate and poetic expose of a long, so far futile battle for accessibility of the Montreal subway. 

 

Jed's Day (7 Min | USA | Narrative)
Dir. Madoka Raine
Synopsis: A day in the life of a man with cerebral palsy.

 

Jesse (2013 | Canada | 14 Min | Narrative)
Adam Goldhammer
Synopsis: A young woman becomes the sole caregiver of her brother who has autism – an honest portrayal exposing the moments of beautiful connection as well as times of hopelessness.

 

Just Be Frank, (2010, 15 min, Documentary, Australia)
Elise Bialylew
Synopsis: Frank Senior is an African-American blind jazz singer adjusting from walking with a cane to training his new guide dog, Kew. As Frank navigates the streets of Manhattan, we see the trust, courage and humour necessary for a blind person to navigate New York City.

 

Kanthari: Change from within (Poland, 2015)
Direxcted by Marijn Poels
Synopsis: An African road trip with blind Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg - to meet courageous visionaries, affected by adversity in their lives who have transformed their challenges into groundbreaking social projects.
http://kantharichangefromwithin.com

 

Kelly's Hollywood
Director/Producer: Brian Donovan
Synopsis: A brother's quest to fulfill his sister's dream of becoming a Hollywood diva takes an unexpected turn when it starts to threaten his engagement. Brian, an aspiring actor, leaves his hometown of Buffalo, NY in the hopes of making it big in Los Angeles. As the years pass, he misses his loving sister Kelly, who he left behind. Kelly, who has Down syndrome and still lives at home with their parents, wants to follow in her big brother's footsteps, but is relegated to assembly line work and performing in her bedroom. To put an end to Kelly's frustrations and to fill the absence of her in his life, Brian brings Kelly to Hollywood every winter to share in the dream. As Brian makes Kelly's dreams a reality, his romantic relationships suffer as Kelly becomes increasingly jealous of his girlfriend. Faced with boundary ultimatums from his girlfriend and health complications of Kelly's, Brian works to find balance between the two. But when Kelly's health plummets, Brian desperately tries to fulfill her last wish of performing in front of a live audience. Will her wish become a reality? And will Brian's own dream of marrying survive?

 

Kids Just Want to Have Fun
Producer: David Decker, Mercury Productions, Inc.
Distributor: Ideascape, Inc. / info@ideascapeinc.com
Synopsis: "Kuds Just Want to Have Fun!" - A thought-provoking video designed to support children with physical differences and educate their peers. It focuses on differences rather than handicaps and disabilities. It features children with various differnces who talk openly about their lives, as we see them enjoying many different activities.

 

Kills On Wheels
Dir. Attila Till | 102 Min | Hungary | Narrative
Synopsis: In this wildly original dark comedy, two teenage boys living in a facility for children with disabilities befriend a gruff hitman who enlists them to be his accomplice wheelchair assassins. Hungary's

 

Kiss My Wheels (USA)  CC
Producers / Directors: Miguel Grunstein & Dale Kruzic 
Contact: Nicole Johnson  Nicole@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: A nationally ranked junior wheelchair basketball team takes us through an extraordinary season of training and national tournament competition, living with disability on a rollercoaster of life, death and rebirth. It's about playing the game. It's about being yourself.

 

Last Time I Heard True Silence
Tim O'Donnell | 2015 | USA | 22 Min | Documentary
Synopsis: A GI Film Festival Selection. Noah Cass, a former Marine dealt with challenges common to veterans transitioning into civilian life. Noah turned to long distance running to help cope with a haunting past.

 

Laulima: Working Together (video, 29:10 min,)
Producer: Merrie Carol Grain Distributor: CPAC, cpac@pixi.com 
Synopsis: This is a documentary on four Pacific Islanders whose disabilities may have been critical in the emergence of their artistic expressions. Aithea Serrao, a Hawaiian, became a quilt maker. Makia Malao, another Hawaiian, became a storyteller. Ruby Steffany, a Samoan, and Tony Hema, a Tongan, both became mouth painters. (Closed captioned)  

Learning to Act in Partnership: Women with Disabilities Speak to Health Professionals (38:00)
Producer: Dr Carol Gill / Health Resource Center for Women with Disabilities
Synopsis: This video, conceived by women with disabilities working in partnership with healthcare providers, addresses the dearth of training materials around disability and women's health. The messae is centered in the voices of the women ans organized in five sections: 1. Access barriers, 2. Sexuality & reproductive health, 3. Mental health & domestic violence, 4. Aging, 5. Public policy. 

 

Lefty and Loosey (Fiction short, U.S., 2016).
Directed by Zico Abrar.
Synopsis: In this techy ode to film noir, two amputee veterans turned private investigators uncover a diabolical plot and must overcome their fears to crack the code and save the world.

 

Let Us Spell It Out for You OC
Producer Director: Joseph Santini, joseph.santini@gmail.com
Synopsis: Let Us Spell it Out for You, is a protest in American Sign Language about governmental funding cuts for Deaf theater. In it, impassioned students present a pastiche of folk songs, spirituals and original writing in ASL to record their outrage.

 

Liebe Perla (Dear Perla) (ISRAEL, 53 min) OC
Producers: Edna & Elinor Kowarsky, Eden Productions 
Director: Shahar Rozen 
Contact: Estty Sade info@edenproductions.co.il
Synopsis: This intimate documentary about the complex friendship between a disabled, elderly Holocaust survivor and a disabled, German disability researcher was produced by Edna Kowarsky and directed by renowned Israeli filmmaker Shahar Rozen. Romanian-born Perla Ovitz and her family, most of whom were of short stature, survived the German concentration camps only because the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele wanted to use them for experiments. Following the war the family moved to Israel. German born Hannelore Witkovsky, also short statured, is investigating what happened to people with disabilities in the camps. Shot in Germany and Israel, Liebe Perla explores two women's very different lives with exceptional sensitivity and depth.

 

Life, Animated (USA, 89 minutes, Documentary, In English with Open Captions)
Directed by Roger Ross Williams
Synopsis: This Oscar-nominated documentary introduces us to Owen Suskind, a young man with autism who, as a child, was unable to speak until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate—immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. A coming-of-age story, the film follows Owen as he graduates to adulthood and takes his first steps toward independence. The subject of his father Ron Suskind's New York Times bestseller, Owen was a thriving three-year old who suddenly and inexplicably went silent – and for years after remained unable to connect with other people or to convey his thoughts, feelings or desires.
Over time, through repeated viewings of Disney classics like The Little Mermaid and The Lion King, Owen found useful tools to help him to understand complex social cues and to re-connect with the world around him.

 

Like a Butterfly (Jak Motyl) (2004 |  Poland)
Director: Ewa Pieta | Producer: Miroslaw Grubek, mgproduction@interia.pl
Synopsis: Without gimmicks or artifice, Polish filmmaker Ewa Pieta delivers an intricate portrait, charged with brilliant moments of emotional intensity. "Like a Butterfly" tells the story of Przemek, a 23 year-old poet who spent his first 16 years of life trying frantically to communicate, get someone, anyone, to notice him. When an institution worker finally recognizes his persistent tapping and blinking as dammed up intelligence, his desperate isolation comes to an end. With training on a communication device, Przemek dives passionately into his longed for world of words, eventually earning national recognition for his poetry. 
Watch online: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/filmedia/play/3748/Like-a-Butterfly--Jak-Motyl

 

Living Without Limits (audio cassette, 30 min.) 
Producer/Distributor: National Multiple Sclerosis Society [ATTN: Bill Rosen] 733 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 476-0462 Rosen@nmss.org 
Synopsis: This video was created and hosted by Bob Enteen, Ph.D. This radio show is devoted to cutting-edge issues of disability and aging. Broadcast by public radio stations and radio reading services for blind persons nationwide, over 150 programs have featured 700 of the nation's leading experts on disability issues. (This segment was about dance.) 

 

LOOKING AT THE STARS
DIR. ALEXANDRE PERALTA | 90 MIN | BRAZIL | DOCUMENTARY
A feature documentary about what it means, in equal parts, to be a woman, a visually impaired person, and a dancer. Looking at the Stars is an intimate glimpse into the lives of the extraordinary ballerinas at the world's only ballet school for the blind—the Fernanda Bianchini Ballet Association for the Blind.

 

Losing It (90 min)
Producer: Sharon Greytak  gcrowdus@cinemaguild.com
Synopsis: This cross-cultural documentary, filmed on four continents, explores the lives of people who live with physical disability, revealing their aspirations and realities. Through her sensitive interviews and an evocative visual style, director Sharon Greytak weaves a story of resilience, vulnerability and the everyday struggle to cary out a sense of purpose and worth. 

 

Loud Proud, & Passionate (video, 22 min.) 
Producer: Dana Vion; Mobility International USA, Executive Producer  
Distributor: Mobility International USA [ATTN: Susan Sygall] P.O. 10767, Eugene, OR 97440 (541) 343-1284 V/TDD mailto:info@miusa.org 
Synopsis: This video highlights the vision and determination of women with disabilities from over 25 countries who participated in Mobility International USA's 1997 Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability. In cross disability training sessions, outdoor challenge activities and cultural celebrations, participants articulate issues, strategies, and the power of a growing international disabled women's movement. [open captioned] 

 

Loud, Proud, and Passionate! (5 min.) U.S. 
Producers: Susan Sygall and Mobility International U.S.A.
Directors: Dana Vion and Sky's the Limit Creative Services
Contact: Susan Sygall, sygall@miusa.org
Synopsis: Signing and singing with passion in Arabic, English and Spanish, 54 disabled women activists from 43 countries celebrate the achievements, pride and solidarity of women with disabilities around the world. The filmmakers describe this short video: "These leaders are revolutionizing the status of women and girls worldwide. Filmed during Mobility International USA's (MIUSA) 5th International Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD), the Loud, Proud and Passionate music video release marks the beginning of MIUSA's 30th Anniversary year long celebration." 

 

Love is a Hemorrhage
Producer: John R. Killacky
Distributor: John R. Killacky / jasonlwc@earthlink.net
Synopsis: "Love is a Hemorrhage" is a performative video of Judy Smith who directs Axis Dance Company, a mixed ability dance ensemble based in Oakland.

 

 

Mama Wahunzi (Women Blacksmiths)
Synopsis: Ugandan and Kenyan women who need wheelchairs gather for a 10 day course on how to make them themselves, and Lawan Jirasuradej, a Thai filmmaker, is there to document it. The workshop is supported by Whirlwind Women, a San Francisco based organization.  Lawan first became intrigued by the project while based in the Bay area. The 57 minute piece also examines the lives and significance of the new mobility of a few of the African women.

 

Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing (USA, 108 minutes, English, Open Captions)
Directed by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern
Synopsis: Using never-before-seen footage, this gripping documentary focuses on the emotional and physical recovery of the individuals whose lives were forever changed by the Boston Marathon bombing. A newlywed couple, a mother and daughter, and two brothers strive to reclaim their lives and communities. An HBO film, produced in association with The Boston Globe.

 

Margarita, with a Straw
Directed by Shonali Bose & Nilesh Maniyar
97 min | 2015| India | English/ Hindi | Not Rated
Synopsis: A funky, stereotype-busting coming-of-age tale based on the true story of a Punjabi teenage girl with cerebral palsy. Laila, an aspiring writer and secret rebel in a wheelchair, is accepted to New York University and leaves India for Manhattan. After a chance encounter with a fiery female activist, Laila starts to grow emotionally and explore this new world and its liberal sexualities. Tackling subject matter rarely explored with lightheartedness, this TIFF award-winning drama is a beautiful, bold, and brave portrait of love, identity, and sexuality. Margarita, with a Straw is joyous cinema bound to win your heart.

 

Marina's Ocean | Dir. Cássio Pereira dos Santos (16 min | Brazil | Portugese)
Synopsis: A teen with Down Syndrome visits the sea for the first time.

 

Meet Us Where We Are (14:40 min)
Producer: Robyn Mercurio 
Synopsis: A training video for disability advocates to increase awareness about services available for victims of crime with disability  

 

Men on Wheels 
Producer: Yahaly Gat


Mercury Stole My Fire
Producer Director: Anitra Nelson, anitran@aapt.net.au
Synopsis: Mercury Stole My Fire is an artistic short in which a woman's long struggle with environmental illness and misdiagnosis is beautifully dramatized using mime performance art and poetic narrative. Producer-director Anitra Nelson uses the brilliantly expressive performances of Penny Baron and Nick Papas to recount how a young woman loses years of health to an undiagnosed reaction to mercury and other toxins in her immediate environment, then after a long-awaited assessment and series of treatments, she slowly recovers. An unusual and captivating film.

 

Metroland: Big Time (video, 25 min.) 
Producer: Atul Malhotra 
Distributor: Carlton International, ATTN: Stella Williams Carlton Studios, Lenton Lane, Nottingham, NG7 2NA, ENGLAND +44 115 9645329,  stella.williams@carltontv.co.uk 
Synopsis: "Big Time" follows the progress of a dwarf band, The Vertigoes, as they launch themselves in the music world. It offers an up-close view of the band, whose members have come from careers in pantomime and even dwarf throwing. Now all have big ambitions simply to make good music. 

 

Mickey Spencer, Visual Artist (video, 15 min.) 
Producer: LVA: Lesbians in the Visual Arts 
Distributor: LVA: Lesbians in the Visual Arts [ATTN: Happy Hyder] 870 Market St., #618, San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 788-6118 
Synopsis: Visual artist Mickey Spencer is home-bound as a result of environmental barriers. She paints with paper because traditional painting media have become toxic for her. In 1997, the Lesbians in the Visual Arts salon entitled "Disability and the Lesbian Artist" brought disabled and non-disabled artists together. This video interview facilitated her participation. 

 

Midfield (6 min)
Synopsis: An ordinary workday in the life of a stevedore, who executes his job with surprising grace and simplicity — but when Sunday comes, an altogether different man emerges. 

 

Mind/Game: The Unique Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw (Documentary short, U.S., 2015).
Directed by Rick Goldsmith.
Synopsis: Basketball superstar Chamique Holdsclaw faced six felony counts, the possibility of prison and public attacks on her character. Her roller­-coaster attempts at recovery from near­ suicide reveal an uphill battle against the stigma of psychiatric disability and show a deep journey that is powerful, revelatory, instructive and real.

 

Miya of the Quiet Strength 
Producer/Director: Daniel Julien,, daniel@swiftusa.org
Synopsis: "Miya of the Quiet Strength" was life long activist Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, who first drew national attention as the sole survivor of a campus mass shooting before moving from Iowa to Berkeley to continue her fight for human and civil rights out of the spotlight glare. Filmmaker Daniel Julien's loving tribute captures the essence of this beloved and respected community worker and the family who supported her efforts. 

 

Motherly (13 min)
Synopsis: A blind mother searches a park for her son to find out whether the girl he is dating is beautiful or not.

 

Mothersbane (11:40 min.) U.S. 
Producer/Directors Jason Jakaitis
Synopsis: Mothersbane is a personal documentary that explores the filmmaker's ambivalent relationship to his mother's physical disabilities and frequent surgeries. It is a mixed-media portrait, alternating between the present - in which his mother … prepares for a major surgery - and recollections of the filmmaker's past. The film uses "Super 8 recreations of childhood memories to express the love and anxiety, and protectiveness and dread that has defined his [the filmmaker's] relationship with his mother."

 

Moving On - Show #1 (22:34 min)
Producer: Doug Caldwell, doug_caldwell@cbc.ca
Synopsis: Moving On tells stories about people with disabilities finding ways to live more independently. Moving On covers the workplace, health, relationships, arts and entertanment, technology, sports and recreation. The audience sees people with disabilities as capable human beings, able to make their own choices and to lead lives of their own design. 

 

Mozart and the Whale (92 minutes)
Synopsis: The story of a developing romance between two individuals with Asperger's Syndrome. Donald (Josh Hartnett) runs an autism support group and Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) is referred to the group by her therapist. When Donald, a taxi driver and numbers whiz, meets Isabelle his routine life is turned upside down as he tries to incorporate her into his world. Inspired by the true story of Jerry and Mary Newport, this dramatic, romantic comedy showcases a unique and challenging relationship. The screenplay is by Academy Award winner Ron Bass and is directed by award-winning director Petter Naess.

 

Multiple CC
Producer: Lucinda Broadbent
Directors: Lucinda Broadbent & Alison Peebles
Contact: Nicole Kathleen Johnson nicole@fanlight.com
Alison Peebles has become well-known to UK television audiences over the last six years as a no-nonsense and unerring Scottish detective. What is less well-known is that in reality, the actress/director is gradually coming to grips with the onset of multiple sclerosis. This engaging, wit-laced documentary of a busy professional following her dreams takes us in front of and behind the camera, as Peebles begins to confront the impact this condition may have on all aspects of her life. The usual parameters of a documentary are tweaked by the inclusion of charming animated sequences that show Peebles' struggle to give up her flashy, fashionable high heels. This absorbing, sometimes sobering, look at becoming disabled in mid-life is leavened by the charm and humor of the protagonist who says she doesn't want to be seen as someone with MS, but as "someone who acts and directs and sometimes falls down." 

 

Murderball (1 hour 28 minutes)
Synopsis: A movie about human determination that just happens to also be a great sports film! This Academy Award nominated documentary chronicles the lives of full-contact rugby players with quadriplegia going for gold at the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

 

My Bionic Pet (2014) has a run time of 54 minutes.
Synopsis: Have you ever seen a pig in a wheelchair? How about an alligator with a prosthetic tail? Originally aired as a NATURE documentary, My Bionic Pet takes a look at animals with injuries or disabilities—and the custom prosthetics their humans develop for them. Bionic limbs, tails, and even a beak are created for our four- and two-legged friends to improve their mobility, their overall quality of life, and their emotional wellbeing. It's a state of being they embrace whole-heartedly.
Follow the stories of a horse, a pig, a swan, an alligator and several dogs, all of whom have been provided with prosthetics that have changed their lives. And meet the dedicated experts and caregivers who have made it all possible. 

 

My Country (video, 56 min.) 
Producer: Phyllis Ward 
Distributor: Acquarius Productions, Inc. 5 Powder House Lane, P.O.1159, Sherborn, MA 01770 (508) 651-2963 
Synopsis: This video profiles three people with disabilities: Kathy Martinez, a disability rights activist; Hughey Walker, the first minority elected official in his South Carolina county; and T.J. Monroe, the first person with a disability to serve on the President's Committee for Mental Retardation. It is hosted by symphony conductor James DePreist, who contracted polio as a young man; fifty years after his aunt, Marion Anderson, was barred from performing at Constitution Hall (1939), the ADA enabled him to enter. 

 

My Feral Heart
Director: Jane Gull | 2016, United Kingdom, 83 minutes | English
Synopsis: Luke, a fiercely independent young man with Down syndrome, is determined to love and nurture those in need. A sudden life change forces him into a new environment where unconventional friendships fuel his resolve to help the most vulnerable. My Feral Heart is a beautifully told story bolstered by strong performances, distinctive cinematography, and a deeply evocative score that will stay with you long after the film is over. (Suggested for ages 13+)

 

My Friend Claude (Mon Ami Claude) OC, M
Producer/Director: Yves Langlois, yves@lany.ca
Synopsis: "My Friend Claude," driven by a bluesy sound track that serves as narrative, is Canadian Yves Langlois' unsentimental tribute to his close friend that captures his joie de vivire as he fulfils his bucket list.

 

My Hero Brother  (78 MIN | ISRAEL | DOCUMENTARY )
DIR. YONATAN NIR
Synopsis: A group of young adults with Down syndrome embark on a demanding trip through the Himalayas accompanied by their siblings. Their journey brings unresolved challenges to the surface. Set against the richly colorful backdrop of India, new bonds are forged, and familial ties become deep friendships. From the director of Dolphin Boy.

 

My Song (2009, 27mins, Drama, UK)
William Mager,
Synopsis: A lyrical coming of age story of a young Deaf woman who starts to learn sign language, knowing she doesn't quite fit into the hearing world of her family. Inspired by a Sign Song Talent Quest, she practices hard only to find it more difficult to be accepted into the Deaf world than she thought.

 

Nectar OC
Producer: Abigail Davies
Director: Liz Crow, liz@roaring-girl.com
Synopsis: With glorious cinematography and exquisite attention to detail, established British director Liz Crow creates a cinematic jewel about love, choice and impossible possibilities. Set ostensibly in the summer of 1931 in industrial England, Nectar is a poignant coming-of-age tale about Walter, a deaf, champion swimmer who, at seventeen struggles to make his own life decisions against a tide of public expectations. 

 

Night Swimming (4 min)
Synopsis: San Francisco fimmaker John R. Killacky gives us another stunning short, an evocative and poetic reflection on life with chronic pain and an unpredictable disability. Always innovative and a risk-taker, Killacky manages, in just 4 minutes, to take us into the deep heart of a profound struggle.

 

Nise: The Heart Of Madness  (2015, Brazil, 109 minutes | Portuguese)
Director: Roberto Berliner
Synopsis: This captivating period drama chronicles the story of revered psychiatrist Nise da Silveira, a pioneer of art therapy in Brazil. Appalled by the standard treatment methods of her day, Nise struggles to introduce creative expression as a more humane form of therapy. Richly filmed and exquisitely acted, the film reveals the fascinating history of mental health treatment and the healing capabilities of art. (Suggested for ages 16+)

 

No Apologies (video, 28 min.)
Producer: Peni Hall; Associate Producer, Pandoura Carpenter 
Distributor: SFWC/Wry Crips P.O. 21474, Oakland, CA 94620 (510) 601-5819 
Synopsis: Wry Crips Disabled Women's Theatre brings the issues of disabled women into the general public and validates the experiences of the women in the group. This video was produced, written, performed, directed, and edited by disabled and chronically ill women. It shows performance and interview footage. [open captioned] 

 

No Bigger Than a Minute
Producer/Director: Steven Delano  monderdonk@dcpa.org
Synopsis: No Bigger Than A Minute, also employs a well-chosen selection of historical footage to develop a colorful portrait of how dwarves or people of short stature have been represented on screen since the silent film era. Producer-director Steven Delano's personal journey for connection and identification adds an emotional layer, but he wisely uses it as a unifying thread only, serving up an entertaining and irreverent overview, splicing in cryptic but philosophical commentary by well-known actors, including Peter Dinklage from "The Station Agent" and Meredith Eaton from "Boston Legal," and a short interview with "Short People" composer, Randy Newman. In recognition of his outstanding creativity, Steven Delano's lively look at the imagined lives of Little People, No Bigger Than A Minute, is the recipient of both an Excellence Award and a Spirit Award, which is given to a work of exceptional quality by a filmmaker with a disability.

 

No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (78 min | 2013 | USA | English/ ASL Open Captions )
Directed by Tony Kotsur
Synopsis: Based on the internationally known SuperDeafy character, No Ordinary Hero (featuring Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin) is the evolution story of a hero in this family drama.  While Tony Kane, a deaf actor who plays a superhero on television, looks beyond his cape to influence a deaf boy, Jacob Lang, to redefine what "being normal" means, he also finds inspiration to transform himself.  Jacob is being bullied at school and is constantly misunderstood by his father. When Tony and Jacob's paths cross, they inspire belief in each other and in themselves.

 

Notes On Blindness (UK, 90 minutes, Documentary In English with Open Captions and Audio Synopsis)
Directed by James Spinney and Peter Middleton
Synopsis: In 1983, after many decades of deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull became totally blind. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he documented his experiences on audio cassette. Expanding upon the Emmy Award- winning short film of the same name, actors lip-sync to the voices of the family. The result is a poetic and intimate story of loss, rebirth, and transformation.

 

On A Roll 
Producer/Director: Joanne Caputo, jojobean@infinet.com
Synopsis: A black man is crusading for civil rights, but the issue is disability. Fueled by discrimination, Greg Smith founded On A Roll Talk Radio in 1992. The energetic show host encounters the biggest obstacles traveling in his own nation's capital and striving for relationships and an independent life.

 

On Beat (Documentary short, U.S., 2015).
Directed by Cheng Zhang and Reid Davenport.
Synopsis: This documentary short follows the lives of a deaf couple with hearing children and the unexpected outlet that brings their family closer together.

 

On Beauty (30 min)
Synopsis: On Beauty follows fashion photographer Rick Guidotti, who left the fashion world when he grew frustrated with having to work within the restrictive parameters of the industry's standard of beauty. After a chance encounter with a young woman who had the genetic condition albinism, Rick re-focused his lens and uses it to challenge convention and redefine beauty.

 

On the Outs: Re-Entry for Inmates with Disabilities (Documentary short, U.S., 2016). 
Directed by Jordan Melograna.
Synopsis: On the Outs follows three inmates with disabilities as they prepare for reentry, get discharged and navigate the challenges of returning to their old lives. Produced by the Amplifying Voices of Inmates with Disabilities (AVID) Prison Project, this documentary scrutinizes the prison institution and its treatment of inmates with disabilities.

 

One Strong Arm 
Producers/Directors: Loren Mendell, Tiller Russell
Contact: Nicole Johnson: nicole@fanlight.com
Synopsis: A central Valley "Rocky" story about a teenager who works out until he's got one arm strong enough to be a contender in mainstream arm wrestling matches. This pitch perfect little gem that takes a look at familial unconditional love and support is inspiring in the best sense of that word.

Open Futures: People With Disabilities At Work
Produced by InfoUse, a U.S. disability research firm based in Berkeley
Synopsis: Open Futures is a wide-ranging overview of the very different kinds of jobs now held in California by persons with physical and mental disabilities. This 11:00 minute short zooms in on people from diverse backgrounds and a multitude of disabilities.

 

Our Own Best Advocates: Breast Health for Women with Disabilities (14 min)
Producers: Jennifer Crescenzo and Betsy Cox 
Synopsis: Dr. Sandra Welner, a woman with a disability and a trained gynecologist, has developed customized breast "self" examination techniques to provide early detection practices for women with upper body disabilities and their partners. This first-of-its-kind instructional video tape demonstrates these potentially life saving techniques. 
Distributor: Video / Action 
Contact Info: 
1000 Potomac St, NW Suite 202 
Washington DC 20007 
212 338-1094 
kristin-sage@hotmail.com

 

Outside/Inside
Synopsis: "In this innovative short (6:35 min.), director Nick Pentzell utilizes a multi-media approach to give viewers a sense of what it is like to have his form of autism.  Produced by Gwen Waltz, Outside/Inside is a successful and informative film about a widely misunderstood condition. A U.S. film, Outside/Inside also earned the SPIRIT OF SUPERFEST Award in recognition of outstanding achievement by an individual with a disability who is significantly involved with the making of the film.

 

Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott CC
Producer/Director: Betsy Bayha   info@fanlight.com
Synopsis: Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott, a documentary short about a unique local artist. We meet the art first: glorious sculptures of twisted yarn and string, layers of color and texture, haunting shapes--undeniably powerful art by someone with a gift. Then we meet Judith Scott: a woman with Down Syndrome who is deaf and does not speak. It's a huge moment delivered gently, without the weighty brackets of art and disability expert explanation. It's filmmaker Bayha's insistence that we enter Scott's world without expert guidance or judgment that makes this little film so compelling. When we see Scott working with intense concentration on her soaring string and yarn wrapped found-object sculptures or watch her engaging with friends and co-workers or involved in affectionate play with family, we don't need to be told that it is tragic her first 35 years were lost to institutionalization. Ultimately, however, Bayha's Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott is no tragic tale, but a loving tribute to a remarkable, tenacious woman and a celebration of her truly spectacular creations.

 

P.S.A's: School Love & Class Photo
Producer/Director: Gosha Molotsov (School Love), Dmitry Pishchulin (Class Photo) 
Contact: Denise Roza droza@online.ru
Synopsis: "These two public service announcements are from Russia, with love. PSA's are still rare on Russian television and these are two examples of how the public is being introduced to the still new concepts of school inclusion.

 

Painting With 14 Personalities
Tuyet Le, 2010, 4 min, Documentary, UK
"There are paintings that I have no memory of doing". Artist Kim Noble explains the reality of living with dissociative identity disorder as she shows us the artwork created by her 14 personalities.
http://www.facebook.com/PaintingWith14Personalities

 

Parade
Producer/Distributor: Susan Nussbaum / surunu@aol.com
Synopsis: "Parade" is a short, comedic conversation between two disabled women set in the near future. In this future society, coercive euthanasia is celebrated as a humane method of maintaining economic and political stability. The women cheerfully try to negotiate their own survival in a world where their position grows more precarious by the moment.

Peak Practice - "Language of the Eye"
Producer: Mervyn Gill-Dougherty
Distributor: Carlton International, ATTN: Stella Williams, Carlton Studios, Lenton Lane, Nottingham, NG7 2NA ENGLAND / stella.williams@carltontv.co.uk
Synopsis: Peak Practice is a drama series about a medical practice in England's beautiful Pead District. In this episode, a teenager is offered a cochlear implant to improve her hearing. Her parents want her to be "normal," but she feels her deafness is part of who she is and turns it down.

Peak Practice: Walls of Jericho
Producer/Distributor: Phil Collinson  louise.sexton@carltonint.co.uk
Synopsis: In "Walls of Jericho", fromt he medical drama series Peak Practice, an 18 year old girl with Downs Syndrome starts a sexual relationship with another resident in the "assisted independence" home where she's recently moved. Her doctor prescribes contraceptives, but her mother feels that she shouldn't be having sex at all.

 

 

Pelswick: DRAW
Producer: Nelvana  Distributor: Nickelodeon / Michele Moore / michelemoore@nick.com
Synopsis: "Pelswick" is Nickelodeon's breakthrough animated series about a 13-year old boy who uses a wheelchair and attends his neighborhood school. Pelswick was created by syndicated cartoonist and author John Callahan (who also serves as Executive Producer). Since his launch on October 24, 2000, Pelswick has shattered stereotypes about kids with disabilities.

Perfect | Dir. Karim Ayari
12 min | Canada | English
Julius meets with his psychologist after what he considered to be a disastrous first date due to his involuntary tics.

 

Phoenix Dance CC
Producer/Director: Karina Epperlein
Contact: Nicole Kathleen Johnson info@fanlight.com
German-American director Karina Epperlein's soaring tribute to renowned dancer Homer Synopsis:Avila, who, after losing a leg and most of a hip to cancer, dedicated himself to relearning all his best moves, and went on to receive great critical acclaim and international recognition. Once a professional dancer, Epperlein was transfixed by the sight of Avila performing a pas de deux on his remaining leg. She determined then and there to make a film celebrating the sublime talent and resilience of this extraordinary dancer. Transcending formula films about transformation, Phoenix Dance keeps the focus on dance, movement, grace, on bodies, perfectly imperfect magnificent form, by showing a unique vision of seven powerful limbs--four of a woman and three of a man--all moving towards an artistic and powerful conclusion.

 

Planet of the Blind
Producer/Director: Sven Werner
Contact: meinereise@hotmail.com
Synopsis:This award was created in 2006 in honor of one of the doyennes of disability arts, Pamela K. Walker, and is bestowed upon an experimental work that expresses Walker's notion of "creativity unbound." This year's recipient is German filmmaker Sven Werner's artistic short, Planet of the Blind, a filmic homage to writer Stephen Kuusisto's beautifully poetic memoir. Werner uses blurred and distorted images to create an experience that simulates the disorientation, beauty and sense of discovery of living with blindness expressed in Kuusisto's best-selling book.

 

 

Positive Exposure (Website)
Synopsis: What is beauty? Rick Guidotti answers this question with an energetic and breathtaking presentation of his work with children living with genetic difference. Guidotti has been photographing young people around the world for fifteen years and the photographs he has taken will change how you think about beauty and difference forever.  Positive Exposure responds to the desire of each individual living with a genetic difference to be viewed first and foremost as a human being with their own unique needs rather than as a specific diagnosis or disease entity. Guidotti describes how the dehumanizing and dispiriting medical images of children, often with their eyes masked, as an important catalyst for his work. www.positiveexposure.org

 

Princess (Prinsessa) (2010, 98min, Narrative fiction, Finland)
Arto Halonen,
Synopsis: Like a feather in the wind, Anna is tossed from one foster home to another until she is taken to a mental asylum. Anna refuses to defer to the authority of the doctors; instead, she insists they address her as "Your highness". Her stubborn refusal to conform leads to an intense battle of wills with the institutions authoritarian director. But this is the 1950's, and the hospital is keen to try new therapies….
Based on the life of Anna Lappalainen, the only psychiatric patient to have a memorial built in her honor.
www.princessthemovie2010.com

 

PRINCESS JACK
DIR. LESLEY JOHNSON | 8 MIN | CANADA | DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Synopsis: A short documentary about a boy with high-functioning autism, whose life is filled with make-believe. The film follows Jack as he introduces us to his particular tastes in wardrobe, carefully applies costume makeup, and patiently works his way through sewing classes in the hopes of making his own princess ball-gown.

 

Profoundly Normal (86 minutes)
Synopsis: Based on a True Story! The only thing they considered special....was their love. Based on the true story of Donna and Ricardo Thornton, this film depicts how two individuals with developmental disabilities overcome extraordinary circumstances to build a life together as husband and wife. Kirstie Alley stars as Donna Thornton, a woman who from the age of 8, lived at Forest Haven, an institution for people with developmental disabilities of varying ages and levels of ability in Laurel, Maryland. There she meets fellow resident Ricardo (Delroy Lindo), and they quickly form a bond of friendship. Donna and Ricardo cope with the strict regime at Forest Haven. Despite personal abuse and neglect, they never give up their dream of finding a better life outside the walls of the institution. When Forest Haven is closed by a court order, Donna and Ricardo face an entirely new set of challenges – how to care for themselves in the outside world. Simple tasks such as reading, cooking and taking the bus are all enormous obstacles for them to overcome. 
Their friendship blossoms into love, and Ricardo eventually proposes marriage. Donna and Ricardo faced heavy opposition from Social Services but with the help of their social worker, the couple embarks on a courageous journey to exchange wedding vows receiving overwhelming support from the general population in the process.  Eventually, the couple decided to have a baby and again faced tough critics who did not think the couple should bring a child into the world. Donna delivered a healthy baby boy, Ricky, in December 1986. Together, Donna and Ricardo work hard to raise their child in an uncertain world and rely upon their love for each other to bring them through even the toughest of circumstances.

 

PSAs: "Hose," "Cards," & "Water Balloons" (USA) CC
Producer: Mark Conly Director: Sean Ehringer 
Contact: Jacqueline Garrett jgarrett@cilberkeley.org 
Synopsis: Three wry Public Service Announcements produced in cooperation with the Personal Assistance Crisis Team (PACT) in Berkeley, California, to recruit attendants and increase awareness about attendant work. 

 

Pushin' Forward CC
Producer/Director: Izumi Tanaka, info@fanlight.com
Synopsis: At 15, James Lilly was shot in the back, a consequence of his involvement with a Latino gang. Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence in American cities, where violence is one of the main causes of death and disability among adolescents and young adults, especially males. This documentary by producer/director Izumi Tanaka is unusual, however, for its honest look at the retooling of James' machismo in the aftermath. Now in a wheelchair, James decides he will just have to work that much harder to become a good father, husband, provider and competitor. The film is framed by James' participation in grueling long distance wheelchair racing, a sport or in this case, passion that takes him far from home and helps him redefine winning.

 

Rachel Is (USA, 67 minutes, Documentary, English with Open Captions)
Directed by Charlotte Glynn
Synopsis: Rachel is mysterious, funny, difficult, and ready to move out of her mother's house. Her mother, Jane, is just as ready, but Rachel has a developmental disability, and Jane is desperately seeking a solution as Rachel prepares to graduate high school. The relationship between mother and daughter is full of frustrations, as each wants independence from the other.

 

Rainman Goes to RocKwiz (30 min.) AUSTRALIA 
Producer: Amy Scully Director: Russell Kilbey
Synopsis: Mark Boerebach lives in a black and white world but says he dreams in color. He is described by the filmmakers as a "nearly blind recluse with Asperger's Syndrome." This docudrama asks us: "Can Mark break out of his constrictive routine and show his amazing music chart recall on a live TV quiz show?" Living in Sydney, Mark is known among local rock aficionados for his detailed recall of 1980s Australian music charts. When he has a chance to participate in the Melbourne music trivia show, supporters do their best to prepare Mark for the bright lights, pressure and unpredictability of the trip and TV.

 

Raymond's Portrait (USA) CC
Producer/Director: Donald Young Contact: Nicole Johnson  Nicole@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: "Raymond's Portrait" is an intimate profile of a young painter born with Down Syndrome. At the age of 19, Raymond Hu has already had numerous solo exhibits, published a book, and even been honored in the Congressional Record. This documentary also traces the challenges and rewards of being one of the first full-inclusion special education students in his high school. 

 

Raymond's Portrait (video, 27 min.)  
Producer: Donald Young 
Distributor: Fanlight Productions, cynthia@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: "Raymond's Portrait" is an intimate profile of a young painter born with Down Syndrome. At the age of 19, Raymond Hu has already had numerous solo exhibits, published a book, and even been honored in the Congressional Record. This documentary also traces the challenges and rewards of being one of the first full-inclusion special education students in his high school. 

 

Read Me Differently (56 min.) U.S. 
Producer/Director: Sarah Entine   Sarah@readmedifferently.com
Synopsis: A shock of recognition in social work school leads first-time filmmaker Sarah Entine to explore how undiagnosed learning disabilities have impacted three generations in her family, including her own struggles. With surprising candor, vulnerability and even a touch of humor, Read Me Differently reveals patterns among the learning and communication styles of this triad of maternal grandmother, mother and daughter. Evocative photos capture the early 20th century life of her grandmother; then interviews of Entine's family and teachers, supported by some home movies, provide more contemporary pieces of the puzzle.

 

Recreation for Everyone (video, 3 min.) 
Producer: Jonathan Newman , newnak@jps.net 
Synopsis: The video is an incentive piece designed to interest potential participants and donors. In a series of vignettes, people of all ages and abilities are shown participating in a wide variety of exciting sports and recreation activities offered by the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP). 

 

Refrigerator Mothers (53 min)
Producer: J.J. Hanley, Kartemquin Educational FIlms 
Synopsis: From the 1950's through the 1970's, mothers of autistic children were accused by the medical establishment of cold, detached mothering - presumably the root cause of their children's bizarre behaviors. We now know that autism is a neurological disorder, but the truth came too late for these mothers and their children. These are their stories. 

 

Rhizophora (Documentary short, Germany, 2015).
Watch at: http://rhizophora.weebly.com
Directed by Julia Metzger-Traber and Davide De Lillis.
Synopsis: Forty years after the Vietnam War, the toxic remnants of Agent Orange have not faded. In this dreamlike meditation on the impact of war and the resilience of humanity, Rhizophora follows 11 disabled Vietnamese youth on a whimsical, poignant and whirling journey through a day in their lives.

 

Sanctuary (2016, Ireland, 86 minutes | English)
Director: Len Collin
Synopsis: Young love knows no bounds, even in the face of endless obstacles. Larry and Sophie yearn to be alone for just one night, but the evening twists and turns, revealing a cast of characters who are all looking for a little adventure. Part madcap comedy, part endearing love story—Sanctuary is a brave film about the complexities of loving and longing in a world that doesn't always recognize our need to do so. (Suggested for ages 13+)

 

Sandy Dukat: Paralympic Hopeful
Producer: Kati Rooney, Melissa Taylor
Distributor: Rivet Media / Maki Rooney, Melissa Taylor / info@rivetmedia.com
Synopsis: "Sandy Dukat: Paralympic Hopeful" - Sandy Dukat, an above the knee amputee, is a 2002 Paralympic Ski Team hopeful. In this profile, Sandy bikes, swims, rollerblades, runs, and lifts weights as she talks about being an athlete and an amputee. While a committed athlete, her long term goal is to work with amputee kids.

 

Seeing Is Believing OC
Producer/Director: Tofik Shakhverdiev, droza@online.ru
Synopsis: Seeing is Believing is Russian director Tofik Schakhverdiev's upbeat portrait of a Moscow college student whose blindness does not restrict his capacity to make friends, get into contact sports, develop a sense of humor, attract girls or become a computer geek. We get well-chosen glimpses of Moscow, the boy's family life, his mobility skills, his pursuit of a career in information technology and his general ease with life. This is one of the first Russian documentaries to emphasize the practical ways young people with disabilities can invent their own futures.

 

Self Preservation; the Art of Riva Lehrer OC (38 min)
Synopsis: Sharon Snyder's gallery tour of artist Riva Lehrer's exquisite portraits shines a sharp focus on her incredible series, "The Circle Stories", devoted to friends and mentors who are all disabled artists, scholars and activists. Each extraordinary portrait is shown in depth with fascinating insights provided by the artist and her portrait subjects. Lehrer is a major talent and significant disability cultural artist; this is a rare opportunity to revel in her gifts.

 

Self-Advocacy: Freedom, Equality, & Justice for All (video, 28:40 min.) 
Producer: Jerry Smith  Distributor: Advocating Change Together Tools4Chng@aol.com 
Synopsis: This video explores the genesis of self-advocacy, a human and civil rights movement by persons with developmental disabilities. Archival footage and first person accounts show the influence of the parent's movement, Independent Living Movement, and gay and civil rights struggles of the 60's and 70's.

 

Sensory Overload (3 min | USA | English)
Dir. Miguel Jiron
Synopsis: This animation gives the viewer a glimpse into the sensory overload experienced by people with autism and shows how often sensory experiences intertwine in everyday life.

 

SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability (2006 | 1 h 11 min
Bonnie Sherr Klein
View: https://www.nfb.ca/film/shameless_the_art_of_disability/
Synopsis: Art and activism are the starting point for a funny and intimate portrait of five surprising individuals with diverse disabilities. Packed with humour and raw energy, this film follows the gang of five from B.C. to Nova Scotia as they create and present their own images of their disabilities.

 

Sign (Short, U.S., 2016).
Directed by Andrew Keenan-Bolger.
Synopsis: Two men meet on a train — and a tender and unspoken love story unfolds. Through vignettes, music and sign language, Sign follows the relationship between Ben (hearing) and Aaron (Deaf) as they navigate life's milestones side by side.

 

Silent,
Synopsis: an anti-bullying student film that gained traction as an Internet hit this summer.
For the first time ever, we broadcasted the announcement of Short Film Competition results

 

Sins Invalid
Producer: Patricia Berne Director: Jason Toussaint
Contact: Patricia Berne pattyb7@earthlink.net
Synopsis: Sins Invalid: An Unshamed Claim to Beauty in the Face of Invisibility is an annual live theatre event about the intersection of disability and sexuality. This trailer was originally created for promotional purposes and captured the essence of the 2006 performance. Now it is used to bring Sins Invalid to a wider audience.

 

Six Guys, 6,000 Miles
Synopsis: Six Guys, 6,000 Miles is a film documenting a one-of-a-kind cross-country trip by four participants in People Inc.'s Guys Group, a social group for young men with developmental disabilities, and two life quality coaches. In June 2015, they embarked on a journey from Buffalo, NY to the west coast, for an experiential learning trip. It may seem like an average trip, but it couldn't be further from ordinary.

 

Slide 
Producer/Director: Sharon Katz, katz@ncf.ca 
Synopsis: A delightful short animation from Canada, illustrating from a toddler's point of view how alternately exhilarating and terrifying it can be when your parents start to "let go." The setting is a public playground, centered on a slide; the players are a child using crutches and his parents; and the tension is provided by the universal childhood dance of protection vs. independence. An impressionistic mixture of line drawings, music and narration bring this unique and whimsical work of art to life, only to be filled in by the viewers' imagination.

 

Smudge (23 minutes 14 seconds)
Synopsis: A Christmas tale based on the best selling children's book "How Smudge Came." It is a story of a young woman with Down syndrome and her love of a stray puppy. 

 

Snow Cake (2 hours.)
Synopsis: The story of a developing friendship between Linda (Sigourney Weaver), a woman who has autism, and Alex (Alan Rickman), an ex-convict who is traumatized after a fatal car accident. In this award winning movie, Alex discovers new friends while learning about the uniqueness of Linda as he struggles to come to terms with his own grief. This is the WNY premier for the screening of this film.

 

Sounds For Mazin  
Synopsis: Mazin is born deaf and will get an operation that makes him hear. He looks forward to it, but it also scares him. How will all these new sounds change Mazin's life? This film explores the controversy surrounding cochlear implants and the preservation of Deaf culture. (6 min)

 

Spectrum: A Story Of The Mind (24 MIN | USA | DOCUMENTARY )
DIR. JILL JONES + BRENT YONTZ
Synopsis: An inventive animated and live action documentary about autism and sensory perception. Featuring Temple Grandin.

 

Spit it Out (55 min)
Synopsis: Laced with humor, this documentary produced by Jeff Shames and Jonathan Skurnik, is a complex, absorbing and frequently revelationary ride that follows Shames as he attempts to uncover the roots of his stuttering. Shames' willingness to keep the camera rolling as he discovers thorny truths about his family history, makes this story emotionally rich and, at times, unsettling, but always compelling viewing.

 

Spokeman (video, 90 min.) 
Producer: Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundations 
Distributor:  elafoundation@mindspring.com 
Synopsis: Written and performed by John Hockenbery, "Spokeman" chronicles his life as a journalist, a human being, and a person with a disability. This performance art piece was originally produced at the American Place Theatre. The ELA Foundation sponsored the archival taping of this performance. 

Stab: Life as a Voodoo Doll (Animated short, U.S., 2017).
Directed by Jeanette Castillo.
Synopsis: This comic medical memoir is dedicated to all those who live with chronic illness or disability. Writer/director Jeanette Castillo pairs her tongue-and-cheek personal account of living with Type 1 diabetes with criticism of the American healthcare system.

 

Stark! Moritz--It'd Be Cool If She Became an Angel (15:06 min.) GERMANY 
Producer: Eva Radlicki Director: Simone Grabs
Contact: Tanja Gunsch, guensch.t@zdf.de
Synopsis: "Football helps me to deal with my sadness", says 14 year old Moritz, talking about his younger sister, Luca, who is 11 and very ill. Since eating and drinking have become difficult for Luca, the family has agreed she will now use a gastric feeding tube. Luca has mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), a genetic metabolic disorder, which is not treatable. She can no longer walk or talk, and may not have long to live. Moritz clearly enjoys looking after Luca, especially making sure she experiences the things he knows she still appreciates. He's the kind of elder brother that everyone wants: caring, sensitive and cool. 

 

Still Life Giving (24 min)
Producer: Nora Arajs, nora@acrossborders.com
Synopsis: "Still Life Giving" takes a look into another side of the art world where rules mean nothing and open minds are fertile ground. In this visually rich half hour documnetary Yuri Arajs, a traditionally trained artist introduces us to the unique visions of collage artist Anne Grgich, sculptor Tim Fowler, painters Helen Brom and John Hillier, and in so doing challenges us all on our ideas and responses to the age-old question: what is art? 

Stroke
Producer/Director: Katarina Peters  monguja@t-online.de
Synopsis: Stroke documents how a sudden cerebral accident changes the life of Boris, a young musician, and his wife, Katrina, the filmmaker. Boris and Katrina are German, but his devastating stroke and subsequent coma take place in New York City while visiting friends. Filming both their New York experiences and several years of recovery in Germany, Katrina Peters offers viewers a rare "before and after" clarity about what Boris is working so hard to reclaim: a high level of musical creativity, and the physical and mental capacities of a young man. Raw and gritty, Stroke shines an unflinching spotlight on the sometimes brutal realities of recreating a relationship when one partner has undergone substantial, but involuntary, changes. Full of surprising moments, complex emotions and uncomfortable truths, Stroke is a profoundly moving love story.

 

Strong Love, (2007, 56 min, Documentary, USA)
Bonnie Burt
Synopsis: Strong Love is the story of world-class weight lifter Jon Shapiro and his childhood sweetheart Holly James, both of whom were born with Down syndrome. This documentary follows the couple over the course of three years, starting with their decision to get married. Their challenges, their triumphs, and their complex, sometimes surprising relationships with family and friends are at the heart of this tender film.

 

Stutter (13 MIN | USA | NARRATIVE)
DIR. IVO HUAHUA
Synopsis: A strong-willed man with a stutter resolves to win his son's respect by speaking to the boy's class on Career Day.

 

Sunny Boy (2011, 12 min, Drama, United Kingdom)
Jane Gull,
Synopsis: Danny has a rare skin condition that prevents him from being in the sun. All he really desires is to be a regular teenager. But are the risks too great?
http://www.janegull.com/#!sunny-boy

 

Sunny's Ears (video, 25 min. per episode) 
Producer: Gillian Gordon  Distributor: Carlton International, stella.williams@carltontv.co.uk 
Synopsis: Sunny's Ears is a comedy-drama series for children about a deaf girl and her fight to save the life of a stray dog and have him trained to be her "ears." The lead part was played by a partially deaf actress, and the series also features other young deaf actors. 

Swim Team  (100 Min | USA | Documentary)
Dir. Lara Stolman
Synopsis: In New Jersey, the parents of one boy with autism form a competitive swim team, recruiting a diverse group of teens on the autism spectrum and training them with high expectations and zero pity.

 

Symphony of Silence OC
Producer: Yves J. Ma  Director: William Eaton
Contact: firelight@telus.net
Synopsis: Symphony of Silence is a Canadian documentary about a 14-year-old award-winning Deaf poet working to create an ASL poem that will premiere as a joint performance with a symphony orchestra. Producer-director Yves. J. Ma, cuts back and forth among scenes of the teenager's creative process, her family life, preparation by the 30 piece orchestra, and all the anxieties leading up to a major live performance. A lively and engaging look at one young girl's extraordinary experience.

 

Talk To Me
Synopsis: Oakland, California, teems with people from diverse communities, many from African-American descent who are struggling to survive.  Talk to Me  documents the varied experiences of three families who have children with autism. The 28 minute film makes it painfully clear how important it is to squeeze the system to obtain services. Producer Vanessa Kaneshiro employs an original and engaging approach of having one of the siblings act as narrator.

 

Teach Me To... (video, 11 min.) 
Producer: Ellen Walters walterse@uncwil.edu 
Synopsis: Lisa Richardson is a first-time teacher who uses her disability to stretch the minds of her third graders and redefine their elementary school experience. This documentary was produced by a MFA student in Film and Video at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. (Open captioned) 

 

That Which Is Possible (USA, 84 minutes, Documentary, English, Open Captions)
Directed by Michael Gitlin
Synopsis: This film follows a community of painters, sculptors, musicians, and writers who create art at the Living Museum, an art space on the grounds of a large state-run psychiatric facility in Queens, NY. Shot over the course of two years and structured across the arc of a day, the film observes with an intimate lens and unspools like a musical, both bracing and tender. It explores the liberation and healing that creativity can offer those drawn together by shared struggle, creating a more humane and holistic approach to mental illness, and to the joy of transforming society itself.

 

The Alien Who Lived in the Sheds (1997,30min | Documentary | TV Movie)
Director: Nabil Shaban
Synopsis: Small man in a wheelchair, Nabil Shaban, goes in search of a reported alien from outer-space, said to be hiding out in some sheds in the middle of some woods, somewhere in the middle of the stockbroker belt of south-east England.

 

The Art of Movement OC
Producers: David & Susan Levitt Waxman
Director: David Levitt Waxman, david@1in5stories.com
Synopsis: David Levitt Waxman takes us inside "The Art of Movement" with the Bay Area's world renowned AXIS Dance Company. These dancers, with and without disabilities, know full well that the audience is at first absorbed by what they perceive as different and resist seeing their performance as art, so they raise the artistic bar and push the creative envelope until they astonish audiences with their innovative moves.

 

The Attack Of The Robots From Nebula-5 [El Ataque De Los Robots De Nebulosa-5] (2008, 6 min, Sci-Fi, Spain)
Director: Chema García Ibarra,
Synopsis: Regarded as odd by his family and the local community, a man believes he has superior knowledge about the world's impending destruction, of which he will be the sole survivor. Alienation meets alien invasion in this visually stunning low budget sci-fi that questions the way we see the world.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/El-ataque-de-los-robots-de-Nebulosa-5/43622087648

 

The Barber of Augusta (Documentary short, Canada, 2016). Toronto native Matthew Genser goes to great lengths to find his unexpected superpower: cutting hair. Like all superheroes, he has a dark side; but in his costume, he's invincible. Put on your cape and get lined up! Directed by Michèle Hozer. Liane Yasumoto's Jury's Choice Award.

 

The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off (2004, 50min )
Director: Patrick Collerton
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmahlc6n9_A
Synopsis: A year ago, 36-year-old Jonny Kennedy died. He had a terrible genetic condition called Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) - which meant that his skin literally fell off at the slightest touch, leaving his body covered in agonizing sores and leading to a final fight against skin cancer. In his last months Jonny decided to work with filmmaker Patrick Collerton to document his life and death, and the result was a film, first broadcast in March, that was an uplifting, confounding and provocatively humorous story of a singular man. Not shying away from the grim reality of EB, the film was also a celebration of a life lived to the full.

 

The Case Of The Three Sided Dream (2014 | USA | 88min | Documentary)
Adam Kahan
Synopsis: Blind from infancy, Jazz legend Rahsaan Roland Kirk developed a unique ability to communicate sonically with his surroundings, and to see in the form of music.

 

The Chariot Races (video, 27 min.)  
Producer: Christian Schneider Distributor: Live Wire Media  lwkids@aol.com 
Synopsis: John Davis is a Paralympic Gold Medallist ski racer and pioneer of the sport of off-road wheelchair racing. Using high-tech adaptive sports equipment, John and his fellow athletes push the limits in outdoor sports. Action highlights include World Championship ski racing in the Alps, off-road wheelchair racing on the NORBA downhill circuit, and a high-speed joyride through the streets of San Francisco.

 

The Chili Story (Animated short, U.S., 2014).
Directed by Patty Berne.
Synopsis: A true story about desire and the arousal of taboo on a BART train.

 

The Collector of Bedford Street (34 minutes.)
Synopsis: Academy Award nominated short documentary film stars Larry Selman, a community activist and fundraiser who is also developmentally disabled. When Larry's primary caregiver becomes unable to care for him, his New York City neighborhood community rallies together to protect his independent lifestyle by establishing an adult trust fund on his behalf. Larry continues to raise thousands of dollars for charity every year. Directed by Alice Elliot.

 

The Collector of Bedford Street CC, AD
Producer/Director: Alice Elliott, director@welcomechange.org
Synopsis: From the opening scene, we are rooting for, even identifying with 60 year old Larry Selman as he struggles through a humiliating intelligence test, perhaps not sure if we could "define tomorrow" perfectly ourselves. The dilemma is that Larry most emphatically does not want to be labeled "retarded" but if he does too well on the test, he will lose funding that will let him keep his tiny Greenwich Village studio apartment and remain in his neighborhood. Producer/director Alice Elliott keeps us on tenterhooks for the duration of this excellent portrayal of Larry and his dilemmas: Will he make it? Will he find a girlfriend? Will his neighbors pitch in? Is he really letting homeless people sleep in his apartment? You'll enjoy finding out the answers and along the way, will learn about a new model for supported living.

 

 

The Commute (3.5 min)
Synopsis: A short film that takes it's viewers on the arduous journey wheelchair users depending on public transportation face everyday. Soundtrack performed by The National.

 

The Conference (2011, 18 min, Comedy, United Kingdom)
Alex Usborne
Synopsis: Pradeep is planning a conference.  Not just any conference, it's for International Day of the Disabled. However, mixed-up room bookings, troublesome guests, and a rebellious deaf theatre company ultimately leads to a day in which everything that can go wrong most certainly does.

 

The Democratic Set (2012, 5mins, Performance, Australia)
Director: Bruce Gladwin,
Synopsis: In August this year, Arts House invited local community groups to collaborate with Back to Back Theatre's creative team in a custom-made film set to create a rapidly moving series of short live performances and screen-based video portraits. Enjoy it while it's fresh! 
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/ArtsHouse/Program/Pages/TheDemocraticSet.aspx

 

The Disabling Bullet
Producer: Patrick Devlieger and Miriam Hertz  Patrick.Devlieger@ant.kuleuven.ac.be
Synopsis: "The Disabling Bullet" narrates the impact of disability through gunshot vilence in Chicago's inner city. Disability here is taken as a metaphor. For some of the men, disability becomes a transforming force, for others it is used to confirm the way of life in the inner city.

 

The End (2011, 24mins, Mockumentary, UK)
Director: Ted Evans,
Synopsis: A provocative peep into a future where deafness has been engineered out of existence. It's a brave new world not without its objectors. It follows four Deaf children over 60 years; who will choose the new treatment and will it be the miracle it promises for all?
www.bslbt.co.uk/zoom

 

The Epidemic
Producer/Director: Niels Frandsen,nfp@os.dk
Synopsis: Neils Frandsen, producer-director of Best of Festival winner, The Epidemic, contracted polio at the age of one in Denmark's last "great epidemic" in 1952. As the filmmaker decribes it, "I do not remember, but I will never forget." It is this paradox of uncertain clarity that charges each frame of this remarkable work with emotional heft and poignancy. By combing archives and applying them masterfuly, Frandsen achieves a mesmerizing panorama of the artifacts of past epidemics: iron lungs and braces, isolation wards, mass inoculation days, experimental therapies and operations, specialized seaside hospitals for endless periods of rehabilitation. Frandsen artfully interweaves the historic materials with poetry read on the radio on Sunday afternoons, with his family's photographs and recollections, and with images drawn from the main memories of his own recovery period: bending linden trees and sculpted tiles from the ceiling of his local swimming pool. Half-history, half-dream, The Epidemic is a fully realized memoir. Powerful, compelling and utterly enchanting.

 

The Finishers (2013 | France | 95 Min | Narrative)
Director: Nils Tavernier
Synopsis: 17 year old Julien is hungry for adventure, and on a mission to gain independence. Despite the limitations of his cerebral palsy, Julien challenges his estranged father to participate with him in the Ironman Race in Nice, France. A moving portrait of the love between a father and his son.

 

The Forgotten(27 MIN | RUSSIA | NARRATIVE)
DIR. ALEXANDER KOROLEV
Synopsis: A sign language theater director has a love affair with his lead actress, but is unable to leave his wife.

 

The Great Little Mouse (12 minutes)
Synopsis: Written by Mary Egan, a woman with developmental disabilities, this film features a flying mouse that helps promote togetherness of people both with and without disabilities. 

 

The Greatest Show on Earth (24 min.) U.K. 
Producer/Director: Rosa Rogers
Contact: Hilary Durman, hilary@redbirdproductions.co.uk
Synopsis: Nana Twum-Danso, 25, has one main passion in her life - dance. Born deaf, in her early years she wasn't allowed to sign. Nana believes dance became an outlet for all the feelings she was unable to express. This drum-driven documentary follows her from England on a life changing journey to study at one of Brazil's best samba schools. Nana challenges herself to become good enough in one short week to perform in the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, a 40 hour long, first class, fever-pitched competition. Nana also visits deaf children at their Rio school, where she is impressed that they are being taught to dance.

 

The Kiss (7 min)
Synopsis: Comedy in which a couple meets in a café on their first date. But when they strike up a conversation with the couple on the next table, they find themselves witnessing a very unusual kiss.

 

The Last American Freak Show M
Producer/Director: Richard Butchins,  richard.butchins@gmail.com
Synopsis: Careering across America is a ramshackled old school bus, run on stolen vegetable oil, and piloted by Lowrent the Clown. Samantha X and Dylan have started their own show, starring such self-defined freaks as The Lobster Girl, The Half Woman, Dame Demure, and the Elephant Man. This motley crew of outsiders are resurrecting the dying art of the sideshow, but with attitude.

 

The Left Foot Cinderella [Cendrillon Du Pied Gauche] (2009, 14 min, Comedy, France)
Benjamin Lehrer,
Synopsis: Lea is a modern, single girl in the city. She loves socializing and shoe shopping. But the day just gets off on the wrong foot and it seems this Cinderella won't be dressed for the ball tonight. Her path is full of potholes and trip hazards. But will her Prince Charming love her in spite of her prosthetic leg?

 

The Letter (2010, 5mins, Music Video, Finland)
Sami Vuoriheimo,
Synopsis: Signmark is a unique creative artist, a world-renowned deaf rapper from Finland. He created this visually arresting and dynamic music video as a tribute to young NZ fan Emma Agnew, who died not long after meeting her hero at one of his concerts.

 

The Man Who Couldn't Dance 
Producer: Jan Haynes Director: Barry Prescott, hotpress@paradise.net.nz
Synopsis: Barry Prescott mines inspired performances from his superb cast of clowns in this brilliant short farce that arrives at Monty Pythonesque solutions to the ballroom dancing aspirations of a man without legs. An outrageous and hilarious riff on "recreation for the handicapped", it's easy to understand why this sly comedy was voted audience favorite at Munich's 2005 international festival on the theme, "The Way We Live." 

 

The Miracle CC
Producers: Jeffrey Jon Smith, James Aull, Jerry Prochazka
Director: Jeffrey Jon Smith, moonhalfhidden@aol.com
Synopsis: This is an expanded cinematic version of performance artist Tekki Lomnicki's theatrical piece, Thanksgiving, exploring a mother/daughter relationship over a 27 year arc from the daughter's point of view. What makes it comic, tragic and unique from other dramatizations of intergenerational conflict is that Tekki is a little person and her mother's dream is to take her to Lourdes for a cure. Using a Catholic confessional as the pretext for a recap of the past, we are taken on a journey from the streets of Chicago to the boulevards of Paris and on to the beckoning "Disneyland for Catholics", Lourdes. Along the way, song-filled intervals pay homage to American musicals and classic films. During Lomnicki's lifetime, the U.S. disability paradigm has gradually shifted from "you can be fixed" to "you have the right to be as you are", and that evolution serves as the backdrop for her enchanting tale.

 

The Paradox Event (video, 21 min.)  
Producer: Paradox Arts , LoBeeMe@aol.com 
Synopsis: In 1996, an international company of dancers with and without disabilities gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark. This video excerpts their evening of improvisation, The Paradox Event, loosely based on the ancient Icelandic saga "Ragnarok," which foretells the end of the world. The piece blends themes of body, politics, dreams, eros, and transformation. 

 

The Perfect Flaw 
Producer: Mike Grundmann, mikegrundmann999@hotmail.com
Synopsis: With a facial birth defect others would shudder to have, David Roche quit his day job and put his face on stage.

 

The Portrait of a Disabled Man OC, AD
Producers/Directors: Volker Schoenwiese & Bernd Thomas, volker.schoenerwiese@uibk.ac.at
Synopsis: "The Portrait of a Disabled Man" is a documentary about the discovery of an unusual 400 year-old Austrian painting. The man's body is laid out, as if for a medical examination, but his head is turned to eye the viewer and challenge our gaze. Filmmakers Volker Schoenwiese and Bernd Thomas explore views by disability scholars, activists and artists on the history and significance of the painting. Gazes at women and men with disabilities from the early modern times up until today -- how can they be interpreted scientifically and artistically? How can women and men with disabilities contribute their knowledge to this?

 

The Power of 504 (video, 18 min.)  
Producer: 504 Sit-In 20th Anniversary Celebration and Commemoration Committee  jbreves@aol.com 
Synopsis: This video illustrates the events leading up to and including the historic 26-day sit-in for disability civil rights at the San Francisco Federal Building in 1977. It includes media coverage of the sit-in itself, as well as interviews with the organizers and participants. [open captioned or audio described] 

 

The Punk Syndrome [Kovasikajuttu] (2012, 85 min, Documentary, Finland)
J. Kärkkäinen & J.-P. Passai,
Synopsis: A bunch of misfits with two chords, a heap of attitude and something to say.
Close enough for rock'n'roll? Join the wild ride with punk band, Pertti Kurikka's Name Day, as they journey from theirhumble rehearsal room to sudden cult success across Finland. True to punk tradition, the band plays hard and loud and their off-centre lyrics reflect their experiences as adult men with intellectual disabilities. The audience's laughter fades, however, when the band starts to sing about self-hatred and living under other people's control. Ego and anarchy abound as they unleash their alienation and exclusion on an unsuspecting world. Is this gnarly outfit able to handle instant stardom?

 

The Quiet Ones (15 MIN | UK | NARRATIVE)
DIR. TERESA GARRATTY
Synopsis: In this murder-mystery, a teacher at a boarding school for the deaf is brutally murdered, and the suspects are narrowed down to four students.

 

The Rebound  (65 Min | USA | Documentary)
Dir. Shaina Allen
Synopsis: This film follows the underdog journey of the Miami Heat Wheels wheelchair basketball team in their quest for a national championship. It is a story of unwavering resolve and a testament to our innate ability to connect and work together despite challenges.

 

The Rest of My Life: Stories of Trauma Survivors
Producer/Director: Gabriel Ledger, M.D., gabriel_ledger@yahoo.com
Synopsis: The Rest of My Life: Stories of Trauma Survivors is a gripping documentary short that examines the lives of a man and woman who rebounded from life-threatening trauma. The man, a Chippewa sculptor, painstakingly relearns his craft after a brutal hate crime; the woman, a yoga teacher undergoes a long recovery from brain surgery after a car crash. Interestingly, producer Gabriel Ledger was their attending emergency room physician who tracked how they were doing three years after treating them. Using in-depth interviews and scenes from their lives, Ledger captures their unrelenting focus on rejoining the world, and gives us a film that honors and celebrates life. 

 

The Ringer (1 hour 34 minutes)
Synopsis: A comedy about two men without disabilities attempt to "rig" the Special Olympics to pay off a debt by having one pose as an athlete with developmental disabilities. The cast includes Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl of Gray's Anatomy, and actual Special Olympians.

 

The Ten Commandments of Communicating with People with Disabilities (video, 26 min.) 
Producer: Irene M. Ward & Assoc. 
Distributor: Program Development Associates pdassoc@servtech.com 
Synopsis: This video focuses on "etiquette for the world." A diversity consultant with cerebral palsy gives a corporation's employees tips on communicating with people with disabilities. He overcomes the employees' initial discomfort and condescension with disarming wit and the ten "commandments" dealing with issues of courtesy, respect, and effective communication skills. (Printed materials included.) [open and closed captioning available, audio described with open caption] 

The Third Brigade of Libya (2012, 26 min, Documentary, France)
Etienne de Clerck,
Synopsis: Imagine being in a war zone without being able to hear an incoming attack. In February 2011, a civil uprising exploded in Libya. During this turmoil, a unique group fought alongside the rebels: the 'Deaf and Mute Brigade' who took up arms to change their destinies forever.

 

The Third Parent (?  min)
Producer: Christina Frenzel, cfrenzel@usc.edu
Synopsis: This is an honest and touching look at familial love and duty from the rare perspective of a sibling. The use of 16 mm film and slightly off-sync sound gives the work a raw, gritty home movie feel that heightens its intimacy and intensity.

 

The Tic Code (1 hour, 28 minutes.)
Synopsis: A 10 year old boy (Chris Marquette) who wants to be a jazz pianist becomes, with his mother's (Polly Draper) help, an underage regular at a local nightspot where he teams up with a sax superstar (Gregory Hines). Both learn that each has Tourette Syndrome. Winning many awards, this is a movie about three people who come to accept that life doesn't always deal you a fair hand and you must play the hand you're dealt.

 

The Unknown Soldier (video, 52 min. per episode) 
Producer: Michele Buck Distributor: Carlton International,  stella.williams@carltontv.co.uk 
Synopsis: "The Unknown Soldier" is a three-part drama set against the backdrop of the First World War. A number of disabled actors played the parts of wounded soldiers, and though ultimately cast for their acting ability, they also brought a real truth to the parts. 

 

The View from Tall  (87 Min | Usa | Narrative)
Dir. Erica Weiss + Caitlin Parrish
Synopsis: High school senior Justine reluctantly begins therapy in the aftermath of an affair with her English teacher. After a rocky first few sessions, she forms an unlikely bond with Douglas, her therapist, who is in a wheelchair and nurses demons of his own.

 

The Women's Foundation (video, 6 min.) 
Producer: Aarin Burch  aarinburch@aol.com 
Synopsis: This promotional short illustrates some of the projects funded by the Women's Foundation, including those that benefit women and girls with disabilities. 

This Drawing Looks Intelligent (video, 29 min.) 
Producer/Distributor: M. Baayens, jdistefano@artic.edu 
Synopsis: "This Drawing Looks Intelligent" is an independent documentary about art and people with developmental disabilities. Areas covered include vocational choice, communication and cultural expression. 

This Is Your Right (video, 1:06:44 min.)
Producer: Irene M. Ward & Associates  Distributor: Program Development Associates, pdassoc@servtech.com 
Synopsis: This news magazine features reporters with disabilities and uses features and satirical commercials to show situations and attitudes that people with disabilities encounter. It stresses standing up for civil and human rights in education, employment, and medical care. (Printed materials included.) [Open and closed captioning available, audio described with open caption] 

 

Through Riley's Eyes
Producer: Sue Turner-Cray, turn21@pacbell.net
Synopsis: "Through Riley's Eyes" - We as human beings are faced with different choices every day. Without choice we are powerless. Riley, a jazz trumpet player stricken with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease), never expected to be faced with this one.

Time to Love, A Backstage Tale (69 Min | Panama | Documentary)
Dir. Guido Bilbao
Synopsis: This colorful documentary follows a group of young actors with Down syndrome who dare to mount La Cucarachita Mandinga, a classic Panamanian play. Though they lack prior stage experience, they plan to put on the first inclusive play ever staged in Central America

 

Tiresias
Producer: Olimpias Disability Culture Productions
Directors: Petra Kuppers & Sadie Wilcox
Synopsis: This beautifully filmed, celebratory short film combines poetry, dance, text and music into a sensual, compelling elegy to artistry. Directors Petra Kuppers and Sadie Wilcox have brought about a winning collaboration that innovatively merges the talents of performers of diverse ages, ethnicity and body type.

 

Touch of the Light (70 min)
Synopsis: A blind piano prodigy. A waitress who dreams of being a dancer. Touch of the Light is the true story of Huang Yu-Siang (who plays himself) and the journey of discovery from his rural village to a prestigious university. He befriends Jie (Sandrine Pinna), and they inspire each other to chase their dreams.

 

Traveller (Documentary short, Myanmar/Japan, 2014).
Synopsis: A young woman born with a disability searches for a career despite rampant discrimination. She travels to Japan where she finds strength in disability activism and community, and returns home with a newfound sense of pride. Directed by Nwaye Zar Che Soe, Mine Aung Lin Tun and Pyae Zaw Phyo. Disability Justice Award. 

 

Travelling (14:44 min)
Producer: Shoot Your Mouth Off  Distributor: Cleveland Arts, ksheader_caz@hotmail.com
Synopsis: Five friends on their way to a party. no problem... except if you use a wheelchair and encounter bratty kids / parents, steps or if you're blind and your cab driver has an attitude problem, or you might just meet the neighbour from hell... 

Tread Lightly (5 min)
Synopsis: Inclusive Arts Vibe Dance Company dances in a skate park.

 

True Smile (Spain, 82 minutes, Documentary In Spanish with English Open Captions and Audio Synopsis)
Directed by Juan Rayos
Synopsis: An astonishing journey as seen through the eyes of 26-year-old Sergio Aznárez Rosado, who was born both blind and with autism, yet lives a life packed with adventure. Over the course of 30 days, Sergio embarks on a 1,300-kilometer tandem bike ride with his brother, Juan Manuel, who pilots the bicycle. Together, they traverse desert and high mountains, starting in Cuenca in central Spain and finishing in one of the most remote villages in Morocco's Atlas Mountains.

 

Twisted  55 mins, 2006
Directed by Laurel Chiten
Synopsis: Your brain is a station with millions of channels. One faulty signal and you can't control your body anymore. The problem is, no one knows which channel. And for people with dystonia, the search for the right signal puts them on the front line in cracking the code of the brain.
When she was 17, independent producer Laurel Chiten hopped in a friend's car and woke up in an ambulance. Months later, her head began to twitch. But it was more than 20 years before she was diagnosed with a neurological disorder called dystonia. Now she leads us on an almost science fiction-like trip to the frontier of medicine. And into the mystery of who we are. Skin deep. Brain deep. Neuron deep. Or something even deeper? Chiten's narration connects the stories of Pat Brogan, a basketball coach and triathlete who developed dystonia after a bike accident; Shari Tritt, whose dystonia affects her whole body, and Remy Campbell, an artist who gambled on a radical form of brain surgery--and won. Together, these individuals try to answer the question, when you are trapped inside your body, what will set you free?
View via UCSD: http://ucsd.kanopystreaming.com/video/twisted

 

Unforgotten: 25 Years After Willowbrook (57 minutes.)
Synopsis: This critically acclaimed and award winning film examines the impact that, in the wake of Geraldo Rivera's shocking 1972 expose, the closure of Willowbrook State School had on patients and their families. Using old film clips, photographs and contemporary interviews to show what life was like before, during and after Willowbrook, the film traces the lives of five people who once lived in Willowbrook. One of these individuals is Bernard Carabello, who was institutionalized at Willowbrook for 18 years because he had cerebral palsy and who now works as a self-advocate.

 

Up Syndrome (1 hour 22 minutes)
Synopsis: Written, produced, directed, and edited by Duane Graves, this documentary involves one of Duane's childhood friends who has Down syndrome. For over a year, the film follows Rene Moreno, 23 years old, and shifts the viewer from lighthearted to melancholy to solemn emotions.

 

Veronika (2011, 7 min, Documentary, Germany)
Mark Michel,
Synopsis: Veronika is autistic, has multiple physical disabilities and as a child she was certified with an IQ of zero. Veronika also happens to be extraordinary. Not only is she able to communicate, she studies and writes stories. Illustrated by marvellous sand paintings, this is an engaging portrayal and insight into the inner world of Veronika.
http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/youtube-project.htm

 

Visual Music: Expanding on Closed Caption Television (7:50 min)
Producer: Gregg A. Brokaw 
Synopsis: A Master's Thesis: 2 music videos, using the same song, were designed for the deaf. It is an attempt to find out what style of visuals and typography will help the deaf "hear" a song and enjoy a music video for all it's worth. 

Vital Signs: Crip Culture Talks Back (1995, 48 minutes)
Filmmaker: David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder
Synopsis: This edgy, raw documentary explores the politics of disability through the performances, debates and late-night conversations of activists at a national conference on Disability & the Arts. Including interviews with well known disability rights advocates such as Cheryl Marie Wade, Mary Duffy and Harlan Hahn, Vital Signsconveys the intensity, variety and vitality of disability culture today. Open-Captioned. Contains strong language and nudity.

 

Vital Signs: Crip Culture Talks Back (video, 48 min.) 
Producer: David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder 
Distributor: Fanlight Productions kay@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: The politics of disability are explored through performances, debates, and conversations at a conference on Disability and the Arts. Activists and artists (i.e. Cheryl Marie Wade, Anne Finger, Kenny Fries) discuss media images, the medical world, telethons, mainstreaming, and other provocative subjects. (strong language and nudity)

 

Viviendo de Nuevo con Dano Medular (Living with a New Spinal Cord Injury) OC (28 min)
This gritty, no holds barred documentary is a peer-to-peer guide for how to survive a spinal cord injury in a developing country where there is little access to advanced medical treatment or technologies. Produced by Peter Brauer with a team from Projimo, a community based rehabilitation program run by disabled people in rural, northern Mexico, Viviendo de Nuevo con Dano presents it's information with powerful and, sometimes, startling images. A serious educational resource dealing with some harsh realities, the tone is never dour or downbeat, but instead, engages us with its lively survivor spirit. (In Spanish, subtitled in English).

 

Voices from El-Sayed (75 min.) ISRAEL 
Producer: Belfilms Director: Oded Adomi Leshem
Contact: Hadar Taylor, hadar@go2films.com
Synopsis: In the picturesque Israeli Negev desert, we find the small Bedouin village of El-Sayed. Although it is reported to have the largest percentage of deaf people in the world, there are no hearing aids to be seen, maybe because in El-Sayed, deafness is not perceived as a disability. Through the generations a unique sign language has evolved, making it the most popular language in this rare society that wholly accepts deafness. The village tranquility and the family balance are interrupted by Salim's decision to change his young deaf son's life and make him a hearing person using a Cochlear Implant.

 

Voices in a Deaf Theater (video, 24 min.) 
Producer: Margo Meisel 
Distributor: Fanlight Productions, kay@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: This video offers an opportunity to witness how two groups with a common goal, but different communication tools, can bridge language barriers to create a theatrical experience for both deaf and hearing audiences. This documentary follows a cast of deaf and hearing actors as they prepare, "The Glass Menagerie."

 

Walk This Way
Producer: Kathryn Vander
Distributor: Fanlight Productions, sandy@fanlight.com
Synopsis: Ron Bachman was born with a congenital birth defect that left him with lefs he could not use. At the age of 4, his parents made the difficult decision to have his legs amputated and Ron was trained to use full-leg prostheses. Eventually Ron decided to abandon his prostheses along with the expectations of others. This is a frank and upbeat video about Bachman's fight to live life on his own terms.

 

Warrior Champions (2009, 80 min, Documentary, China / USA)
Craig Renaud,
Synopsis: The emotional story of a group of severely wounded American soldiers, as they fight to turn nightmares of war into Olympic dreams. Warrior Champions is a coming home story of struggle and triumph that challenges every notion of what it means to be disabled.

 

We Watch the City CC
Producer/Director: Jerry Smith, smith495@umn.edu
Synopsis: This work is a documentary exploring New Yorkers with developmental and related disabilities and those who support them in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, September 2001.

 

Welcome to the Last Bookstore (11 min.)
A day in the life of a bookstore owner—a father, husband, small business owner, and paraplegic—showing the store's magnetic appeal to the community.

 

Welcome to the Last Bookstore (11 min | USA | English)
Dir. Chad Howitt
Synopsis: A day in the life of a bookstore owner—a father, husband, small business owner, and paraplegic—showing the store's magnetic appeal to the community.

 

Well Done (Short, Italy, 2016).
Directed by Riccardo Di Gerlando.
Synopsis: A sharply-dressed young man with Down syndrome sneaks out of his house to visit an art museum and causes a disruption. Through humor and irreverence, this film reminds us that art can be interpreted by everyone, not just the "experts."

 

When Billy Broke His Head....and other tales of wonder (video, 56:31 min.) 
Producer: Billy Golfus and David Simpson 
Distributor: Fanlight Productions, kay@fanlight.com 
Synopsis: When Billy Golfus, an award-winning radio journalist, was brain damaged as a result of a motor scooter accident, he became one of the 43 million Americans with disabilities -- this country's largest and most invisible minority. In this irreverent, first-person road movie, Golfus, a sort of underground Charles Kuralt, goes on the road to meet people with disabilities around the country, and to witness first hand the strength and anger that is forging a new civil rights movement.

 

When Brenden Met Hiroe (Documentary short, Australian/Japan, 2016).
Synopsis: A photographer from Australia returns to Japan to reunite with his friend Hiroe, who he met at a blind and deaf/blind workshop the year before. The pair spends an unforgettable day together. Directed by Steve Mayer-Miller.

 

When I'm Not Alone OC, M
Producer/Director: Rhianon Gutierrez, rhianon.elan@gmail.com
Synopsis: "When I'm Not Alone" is as direct and down to earth as Sam Durbin, the extraordinary ordinary man at its center. Sam's life, like this story, is all about possibilities. He heads the consumer advisory committee for California's Department of Developmental Services and is a published author, achievements he never imagined while institutionalized or homeless. This powerful gem, which chronicles Sam's efforts to reclaim his life with the help of integrity house, a clubhouse to help people w/ disabilities become self-advocates, also earned the Spirit Award, given to an outstanding work by a filmmaker with a disability.

 

Where's Molly
Synopsis: Since he was six years old, Jeff Daly kept asking that question. When his sister Molly was not yet three years old, she was taken from their "perfect home and sent to live in an institution, never to return. While his parents refused to talk about Molly, Jeff was left to wonder and mourn the sudden and mystifying loss of his only sister. Now 47 years later Jeff finally learns the truth about the family secret that kept him from his sister, in a reunion that will warm your heart and give you hope for the future of "less than perfect" people like Molly.

 

White Sound OC
Producer/Director: Sarah Tracton, sarahtracton@hotmail.com 
Synopsis: Rania lip-reads conversations in a nightclub, while Phillip feels sound beneath the floor. "White Sound" is visualized through deaf and hearing-impaired observance. Filmmaker Sarah Tracton lost her hearing in her early twenties, a fact that allows her a powerful auditory memory, used in "White Sound" to explore the idea of living in a world without sound. "White Sound" is recreated in the "mind's ear."

 

Who Are You To Me (2010, 88 min, Drama, Israel)
Dror Reshef
Synopsis: What's in a word? When it comes to intimacy, everything. An encounter between two people, one with an intellectual disability, the other with a mental illness, reveals the universality of our struggle with commitment. Initial resistance and uncertainty begin to give way to a deeper connection as these so called 'outsiders' experience the pain that only intimacy can deliver.

 

Who Is He? (2011, 5 min, Documentary, Australia)
Costa Athanassiou, Alex Litsoudis,
Synopsis: Who is he? Who is he? Who is he? He is Alex, he is Greek-Australian, he has a mild intellectual disability and he wants to be a star! Flamboyant, pushy and ambitious, Alex is determined to make it on stage and screen. Is this a case of nature or nurture? His Greek mother confesses happily "I always let him do what he wanted!"
www.costascreativemedia.com.au

 

Whole-A Trinity of Being (South Africa, ? min)
Director:  Shelley Barry's
Synopsis: An impressionistic trilogy of shorts, Whole-A Trinity of Being. Disabled from an act of violence, Barry, who is a former disability media campaign manager for the South African government, makes a stunning film debut as writer, director and performer with this mesmerizing gem that looks at life after the bullet. Using vibrant imagery and a haunting score to evoke her physical and psychological transformation, Barry captures the power of non-narrative cinema with a work that is both deeply affecting and intensely personal. Produced by Barry, with Mili Bonilla and Stephanie Garoian, Whole-A Trinity of Being is a breathtaking 16 minutes of visual magic.

 

Whole: A Trinity of Being (2004, 15 minutes)
Filmmaker: Shelly Barry
Synopsis: "Whole: A Trinity of Being," is a trilogy of shorts by South African artist Shelley Barry that looks at aspects of her life after she was disabled by a bullet. ' Pin Pricks' revisits the moments when the fabric of a woman's life is torn and revelations take her beyond loss; ' Voice/Over' explores silence/spoken word/speech/the ability to speak and the importance of speaking out about violence, trauma, love and survival; 'Entry' explores the re-insertion of images into a media that does not reflect people with disabilities as passionate and sexual beings.

 

Wipe Out CC
Producer: National Film Board of Canada
Director: Lionel Goddard 
Contact: Lori Fried, lori@icarusfilms.com
Synopsis: Brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability for men under the age of 35. Narrated by Olympic gold snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, "Wipe Out"" tells the story of three young men living with permanent brain damage as the result of head injuries they suffered pursuing extreme sports. Christ Dufficy, a professional snowboarder, is coming to terms with ongoing memory problems resulting from multiple concussions and a traumatic brain injury he suffered when he crashed after landing a monstrous jump for a film shoot. Jon Gocer dreamed of following in Chris's tracks until a skateboard wipe-out almost ended his life--and did wipe out most of his memory. Jon struggles to discover his new identity while having to relearn the most basic life skills.

 

Wood Diary
Producer/Director: David Edwin Meyers, david@wooddiary.com
Synopsis: Artist David Edwin Myers' gentle, dreamlike interpretation of the life of Walker Woods, an isolated rural artist with a disability, who creates haunting wood figures, is a transcendent and shimmering reflection on the beauty of ritual and the power of unconditional love and commitment. Using silent, snowy landscapes, intimate camera angles and a delicate, evocative score, Myers gives us a stunning, visual poem that attests to the value of the unexamined life. 

 

Woody's Order!(2016, USA, 16 minutes) | English)
Director: Ann Talman
Synopsis: Broadway actress and Pittsburgh native Ann Talman was always told that her brother Woody had "ordered" a sibling to care for him throughout his life. While his Cerebral Palsy limited his mobility and speech, it did not hinder the closeness that he and Ann shared, despite the strain placed on Ann as his caregiver. Based on her highly acclaimed one-woman play, Woody's Order! deftly shows the joyful, yet difficult, role siblings play in the lives of those living with disabilities. (Suggested for ages 10+)

 

Words from the Heart: Mentoring
Producer/Distributor: Disabled Women's Alliance
Synopsis: "Words from the HEart" is an exciting short video filled with first person accounts of disabled women on mentoring and leadership. Women from Ireland to Zimbabwe and beyond share inspiring stories, funny anecdotes, and resourceful strategies. The video also includes on-screen resources.

You See Me (2011, 18 min, Animation, Australia)
Phil Heuzenroeder,
Synopsis: You See Me is a series of nine short animations made by people perceived to have a disability. Animated by Nick Kallincos, these deceptively simple animations tell the participants' stories of adversity to triumph in their everyday lives with compelling authenticity.
www.youtube.com/wildatheartcommunity.  

 

Youth Speaks segment from KQED's series SPARK (USA) CC
Producer: : Howard Shack & the Bay Area Video Coalition 
Contact: Louise Lo  llo@kqed.org 
Synopsis: This entertaining 12 minute 20 second segment from KQED's Bay Area weekly arts magazine SPARK introduces us to the slammin' world of slam poetry. Produced by Howard Shack and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), this segment of the PBS series follows two young poets involved in the local Youth Speaks, program as they prepare and then compete in a regional slam where winners earn the chance to go on to the nationals. Full of passion and promise, these talented poets, one of whom is Emiliano Borgois-Chacon, a local teenager with cerebral palsy, will have you cheering and wanting more.

 

List of [mainly mainstream] Films that Represent DisabilityFrom UC Berkeley:

 

Aaltra: A Road Movie (2004)
Directed by Gustave de Kervern and Benoît Delépine. Cast: Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern, Jan Bucquoy, Pierre Carl, Michel de Houx, Isabelle Delepine, Jason Flemying, Noel Godin, Christine Grulois, Aki Kauresmaki, Bouli Lanners, Vincent Patar, Benoit Poelvoorde, Chrisophe Salengro, Vincent Tavier. In this hilarious comedy two rural neighbors who hate each other, end up paralyzed after they get tangled in a tractor during a fight. Full of spite they decide to roll across Europe to exact revenge from the tractor's manufacturer. 90 min.

 

Assisted Living (2002)
Directed by Elliot Greenebaum. Cast: Michael Bonsignore, Maggie Wise Riley, Gail Benedict, Nanci Jo Boone, Clint Vaught, Jose Albovias, Elsie Albright, Malorie Boone. Todd is a pot-smoking janitor at a nursing home who takes pleasure in toying with the senile residents. But when one of the residents mistakes him for her son, he finds himself becoming emotionally attached to his work for the first time. Shot in an actual nursing home, using real residents as many of the actors with mixed footage from a documentary that was made at the facility, lends the film a realistic fly-on-the-wall quality. 75 min.

 

Away from Her (2002)
Directed by Sarah Polley. Cast: Gordon Pinsent, Julie Christie, Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Wendy Crewson, Kristen Thomson, Deanna Dezmari, Clare Coulter, Thomas Hauff, Alberta Watson. Fiona and Grant are an Ontario couple who have been married for over 40 years. During the twilight of their years, Grant is forced to face the fact that Fiona's 'forgetfulness' actually is Alzheimer's. After Fiona wanders away and is found, the decision is made for her to go into a nursing home. For the first time in their relationship, they are forced to undergo a separation since this is the nursing home 'no-vistitors,' first 30 days policy of a patient's stay. When Grant visits Fiona after the orientation period, he is devastated to find out that not only has she seemingly forgotten him, but she has transferred her affections to another man. As the distance between husband and wife grows, Grant must draw upon his love for Fiona to perform an act of self-sacrifice in order to ensure her happiness. Based on the short story "The bear came over the mountain" by Alice Munro. Special features: Feature commentary with actress Julie Christie ; deleted scenes ; deleted scenes commentary with director Sarah Polley. 110 min.

 

Be With Me (Singapore, 2005)
Directed by Eric Khoo. Cast: Theresa Chan, Ezanne Lee, Samantha Tan, Seet Keng Yew, Chiew Sung Ching, Lawrence Yong, Lynn Poh. A tapestry of stories woven around the themes of love, hope and destiny. The characters lead separate lives but are bound by one common desire - to be with their loved one. The protagonists in the movie are fictitious bar one - Theresa Chan, a courageous deaf and blind woman whose life story inspired the film. 93 min.

 

Beggars In Ermine (1934)
Directed by Phil Rosen. Cast: Lionel Atwill, Betty Furness, Henry B. Walthall, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Jameson Thomas, James Bush, Astrid Allwyn. John Dawson loses control of his factory when he is crippled in an accident caused by a rival. Destitute and reduced to panhandling, he travels the country organizing the homeless to help him regain control of his steel mill. Based on the novel by Esther Lynd Day. 70 min.

 

Better or Worse? (UK, 2000)
Directed by Jocelyn Cammack. Cast: Finn Atkins, John Langford, Ann Farrar, Luke Gell, Keiran Francis. Eight-year-old Rachel embarks upon a series of experiments attempting to make sense of her defective eyesight. The film contrasts ideas of perspective, both real and imagined, through the recurring motif of a diving board -- limiting and precarious. 9 min.

 

Bigger Than Life (1956)
Directed by Nicholas Ray. Cast: James Mason, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau. Schoolteacher Ed Avery, who's been suffering bouts of severe pain and even blackouts, is hospitalized with what's diagnosed as a rare inflammation of the arteries. Told by doctors that he probably has only months to live, Ed agrees to an experimental treatment: doses of the hormone cortisone. Ed makes a remarkable recovery, and returns but he must keep taking cortisone tablets regularly to prevent a recurrence of his illness. But the 'miracle' cure turns into its own nightmare as Ed starts to abuse the tablets, causing him to experience increasingly wild mood swings. 92 min.

 

A Bit of Luck (Tipat mazal) (Israel, 1992)
Directed by Ze'ev Revach. Cast: Ya'ackov Ben-Sira, Zehava Ben, Jacques Cohen, Chen Gueta, Yossi Keinan. Tells the story of a blind father and his singer daughter immigrating together to Israel. 90 min.

 

Blind Man's Bluff (A Caixa)(Portugal / France, 1994)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira. Cast: Luis Miguel Cintra, Glicinia Quartin, Ruy de Carvalho, Beatriz Batarda, Diogo Dria. Everyday an old blind man sits in a doorway begging for money, while his daughter spends her days ironing and complaining. Their neighborhood is not wealthy, and many a passerby is envious of the old beggar's box of accumulating coins. It has been stolen before so the man and the daughter's boyfriend keep an eye on it, but eventually tragedy ensues when the box disappears again. 92 min. 

 

Blindness(Canada | Brazil | Japan, 2008)
Directed by Fernando Meirelles. Cast:Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Yusuke Isea, Yoshino Kimura, Don McKellar, Maury Chaykin, Mitchell Nye, Danny Glover, Gael García Bernal. A city is ravaged by an epidemic of 'white blindness.' Those first afflicted are quarantined by the authorities in an abandoned mental hospital where societal norms quickly breaks down. Criminals and the physically powerful prey upon the weak, hoarding the meager food rations and committing horrific acts. Inside the hospital is one eyewitness to the nightmare. Following her husband into the hospital, a woman whose sight is unaffected by the plague goes into quarantine. There, keeping her sight a secret, she guides seven strangers who have become like a family. She leads them out of quarantine and onto the ravaged streets of the city. Their voyage is fraught with danger, but their survival is a reflection of the depth of the human spirit. Based on the novel "Ensaio sobre a cegueira" by José Saramago. 121 min.

 

Breaking the Waves (Denmark / Sweden / France / Netherlands / Norway / Iceland, 1996)
Directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgard, Katrin Cartlidge, Jean-Marc Barr, Udo Kier. Bess, a pious young Scottish woman, prays to God to send her husband, Jan, home from his job on an offshore oil rig. When an accident sends him home paralyzed, she's filled with guilt and submits to his wish that she take on other lovers, convinced that this will aid in his recovery. 152 min.

 

Cairo Station (Bab al-Hadid; The Iron Gate) (Egypt, 1958)
Directed by Youssef Chahine. A smoldering tale of life among the poor who live in Cairo's railroad station. A crippled newspaper vendor falls in love with a beautiful lemonade seller who does not return his affections. Unable to accept her indifference, he kidnaps the woman, leading to violence and tragedy.

 

Children of a Lesser God (1986)
Directed by Randa Haines. Cast: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco. A love story about John Leeds, an idealistic special education teacher, and a headstrong deaf girl named Sarah. At first, Leeds sees Sarah as a teaching challenge. But soon their relationship blossoms into a love so passionate it shatters the barrier of silence that keeps them apart. 118 min.

 

Chinesisches Roulette (Chinese Roulette) (Germany, 1976)
Director, Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Cast: Anna Karina, Ulli Lommel, Macha Meril, Margit Carstensen, Brigitte Mira, Alexander Allerson, Volker Spengler, Andrea Schober. A German businessman pretending to go on a business trip heads for his country estate with his French mistress where he runs into his wife and her own lover. When their teenage daughter, a young teen who walks with crutches, arrives she angrily confronts them with their hypocrisy and compels everyone to rigorous truth-telling, revealing the latent hatreds within the family, culminating in a shocking climax. 96 min.

 

Christmas Carol
Featuring the saintly, crippled Tiny Tim.

 

City Lights (1931)
Written, directed, and scored by Charles Chaplin. Cast: Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry Myers. Considered by many to be his masterpiece, City lights presents the perfect balance of comedy and pathos that is Charlie Chaplin's trademark. The Little Tramp befriends a blind flower girl and tries to restore her sight. Includes Chaplin's own score, featuring recorded digitally; Interview with composer-conductor Carl Davis; story notes and production data. 86 min.

 

City Streets (1931)
Directed by Albert Rogell. Cast: Helen Jerome Eddy, Edith Fellows, Leo Carrillo, Tommy Bond. In an working class neighborhood in New York, immigrant shopkeeper Joe Carmine becomes the guardian of a crippled orphan girl. 68 min.

 

The Color of Paradise (Rang-e khoda) (Iran, 1999)
Director, Majid Majidi. Mohammad joyfully returns to his tiny village on summer vacation from the Institute for the Blind in Tehran, unaware of his father's intentions to disown him. Engaged to be married, the widowed man has keptMohammad a secret from his fiancee, certain the boy'sdisability will destroy his only chance for happiness. With the wedding swiftly approaching Mohammad's future hangs precariously in the balance as his fatherstruggles against his destiny, unable to see the wonder of life and love that's so clear to his son. 90 min.

 

Coma (1978)
Directed by Michael Crichton. Cast: Genevieve Bujold, Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley, Rip Torn, Richard Widmark. Young doctor at Boston hospital finds that patients suffer irreparable brain damage when supposed minor operations are performed. Determined to find the cause of these mysterious events, she turns to her boyfriend and a senior physician for help. But as her investigation unfolds, Susan uncovers a horrific conspiracy and suddenly finds herself marked for death. 114 min.

 

Cousin (Australia, 1998)
Directed by Adam Elliot. An award winning animated film about the childhood remembrances of a little boy born with cerebral palsy. 4 min.

 

Dancer in the Dark (Denmark / Germany / Netherlands / USA / UK / France / Sweden / Finland / Iceland / Norway, 2000)
Directed by Lars von Trier. Cast: Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Jean-Marc Barr, Joel Grey. Selma, a factory worker in rural America and single mother, is losing her eyesight from a hereditary disease. Determined to protect her 10-year-old son from the same fate, Selma is saving her money to get him an operation. In the evenings, Selma escapes by rehearsing for a production of The sound of music with her best friend. When a neighbor betrays her trust, Selma's life spirals out of control and the lines between reality and fantasy blur until she begins to believe that her life has actually become a Hollywood musical. 141 min.

 

The Day of Despair (O dia do desespero ) (Portugal / France / Switzerland, 1991)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira. Cast: Teresa Madruga, Mário Barroso, Luís Miguel Cintra, Diogo Dória, Canto e Castro, Ruy de Carvalho. Portrait of the last days of the 19th-century Portuguese writer Camilo Castelo Branco who suffered from an eye disease and one day woke up blind. His despair, as a writer unable to write, led him to suicide. 73 min.

 

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon)(France, 2007)
Directed by Julian Schnabel. Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner, Marie-Josee Croze, Anne Consigny, Patrick Chesnais, Niels Arestrup, Olatz Lopez Garmendia, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Marina Hands, Max von Sydow, Isaach De Bankole. A drama based on the true story of the French editor of Elle magazine, Jean-Dominique Bauby, who in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind. Based on the novel "Le scaphandre et le papillon" by Jean-Dominique Bauby. 112 min.

 

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Cast: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, Slim Pickens, Tracy Reed. Feaures wheelchair-bound Strangelove (Peter Sellers), the quintessential evil-genius (preportedly based on Henry Kissinger). Strangelove possesses a bionic arm with a vicious life of it's own. 93 min.

 

Dolls (Japan, 2002)
Director, Takeshi Kitano.Cast: Kanno Miho, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kyoko Fukada. Three stories of undying love, including tale of a disfigured pop star confronts the phenomenal devotion of her biggest fan.

 

Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Directed by Tim Burton. Cast: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, Alan Arkin, Robert Oliveri, Conchata Ferrell, Caroline Aaron, Dick Anthony Williams, O-Lan Jones. As the result of an inventor's sudden death, his creation Edward (Johnny Depp) is left with long, sharp scissors instead of hands. Edward is brought from his lonely castle to a stylized, pastel suburb by a kindly Avon lady, who tries to make a home for him with her family and neighbors, with alarming, darkly comic results. 105 min.

 

The Elephant Man (UK / USA, 1980)
Directed by David Lynch. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller. Based on a true story in 19th century England, the film examines the complex emotional experiences faced by John Merrick, afflicted with neurofibromastosis and known as the "Elephant Man." He is discovered and rescued by a dedicated surgeon from his life as a circus freak, and is given a chance to live his last years with comfort, respect, and dignity. 123 min.

 

Even Dwarfs Started Small (Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen)(West Germany, 1969)
Directed by Werner Herzog. Cast: Helmut Doring, Gerd Gickel, Paul Glauer, Erna Gschwendtner, Gisela Hertwig, Gerhard Marz, Hertel Minkner, Alfredo Piccini, Gertraud Piccini, Brigitte Saar, Marianne Saar, Erna Smolarz, Lajos Zsarnoczay. The inmates have taken over an institution in a bleak and savage world in which everyone's a dwarf in this brutal allegorical film about the consequences of imprisonment and rebellion. In this land of reversed proportions, as one of the institution's directors holds a rebel hostage while issuing orders for calm, the other inmates run amok, smashing equipment, setting fires, fighting for power and tormenting two blind prisoners.

 

The Eye (Jian Gui) (Hong Kong / UK / Singapore, 2002)
Directed by Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang. Cast: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Chutcha Rujinanon, Yut Lai So. In this Chinese horror film, a blind girl gets a cornea transplant after 18 years of blindness but the face she sees in the mirror is not her own and she begins to realize she is seeing ghosts. So she sets out of find the origins of her cornea and the history of the previous dead owner. 95 min.

 

The Eye of the Beholder (aka. Private World of Darkness)(Twilight Zone, TV series, 1960)
Written by Rod Serling ; producer, Buck Houghton; director, Douglas Heyes (Episode 42, November 11, 1960) "Janet Tyler has undergone her eleventh treatment in an attempt to look like everybody else. The details of the treatment are not given, but Tyler is first shown with her head completely bandaged, so her face cannot be seen. She is described as being "not normal" by the nurses and doctor, whose own faces are always in shadows. The outcome of the procedure cannot be known until the bandages are removed. Tyler pleads with the doctor and eventually convinces him to remove the bandages early. After a climactic buildup, the bandages are removed, revealing to the audience that she is beautiful. However the reaction of the doctor and nurses is disappointment; the operation has failed, her face has undergone "no change - no change at all". At this point, the doctor, nurses and other people in the hospital, whose faces have never been seen clearly before, are now revealed to be horribly deformed in the audience's perspective, with large brows, curled lips, and misshapen, pig-like noses. Distraught by the failure of the procedure, Tyler runs through the hospital as the terrible faces of everyone she runs into, apparently the norm in this society, are revealed. Large screens throughout the hospital project an image of the State's despotic leader (sounding and making hand motions like Adolf Hitler), calling for greater conformity. Eventually, a handsome man afflicted with the same "condition" arrives to take the crying, despondent Tyler into exile to a village of her "own kind", where her "ugliness" will not trouble the State. Before the two leave, the man comforts Tyler with the "very, very old saying" that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

 

Eyes in the Night (1942)
Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Edward Arnold, Ann Harding, Donna Reed, Mantan Moreland, John Emery, Horace McNally, Katherine Emery, Reginald Denny, Rosemary De Camp, Stanley Ridges. Blind detective McLain investigates the murder of Miss Lawry's boyfriend with the aid of his seeing-eye dog. The only clue is the odor of violets in the room. From this clue McLain builds a case against Nazi spies headed by someone close to Miss Lawry. Based on the book The odor of violets by Baynard Kendrick. 88 min.

 

Eyes Without A Face (Les Yeux sans visage) (Frace, 1959)
Directed by Georges Franju. Cast: Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Edith Scob. A distinguished surgeon kidnaps young women intending to graft their features onto his daughter's disfigured face. Based on the novel: Les yeux sans visage / by Jean Redon. 88 min.

 

Face of Another (Tanin no kao) (Japan, 1966)
Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara. Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Machiko Kyo, Mikijiro Hira, Kyoko Kishida, Miki Irie, Eiji Okada, Minoru Chiaki, Hideo Kanze, Kunie Tanaka, Bibari Maeda, Etsuko Ichihara, Yoshie Minami. Okuyama, after being burned and disfigured in an industrial accident and estranged from his family and friends, agrees to his psychiatrist's radical experiment: a face transplant, created from the mold of a stranger. As Okuyama is thus further alienated from the world around him, he finds himself giving in to his darker temptations. Based on the novel by novel by Kobo Abe. 124 min.

 

Fists in the Pocket (I Pugni in Tasca) (Italy, 1965)
Directed by Marco Bellocchio. Cast: Lou Castel, Paola Pitagora, Marino Mase, Liliana Gerace, Pier Luigi Troglio. Story about a blind widow and her four children. Three are afflicted with epilepsy, and the fourth, Augusto, has to support the family. Alessandro (Sandro) wants to free his brother from this burden and sees killing the rest of the family as the only way. 108 min.

 

Four Weddings and a Funeral (UK, 1994)
Directed by Mike Newell. Cast: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, John Hannah, Simon Callow, James Fleet, Charlotte Coleman. Charles (Hugh Grant) falls in love with Carrie (Andie MacDowell), who he meets up with as he and his friends attend four weddings and one funeral. Charles' brother, David, is deaf. 118 min.

 

Freaks (1932)
Directed by Tod Browning. The side-show freaks have created their own unified community within the carnival. When the beautiful trapeze artist marries one of the freaks for his money, and then plots to kill him, the enraged freaks defend their friend and take gruesome revenge on their betrayers, transforming the aerialist into the most hideous side-show attraction of all. 66 min.

 

Frida (USA / Canada / Mexico, 2002)
Directed by Julie Taymor. Cast: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Valeria Golino, Mia Maestro, Roger Rees, Diego Luna, Geoffrey Rush, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas. A dramatization of the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, from her humble upbringing to the worldwide fame and controversy that surrounded both her and her husband, Diego Rivera. Special features: Disc 1: Feature film with commentary by director Julie Taymor; selected scenes commentary with composer Elliot Goldenthal; a conversation with Salma Hayek -- Disc 2: American Film Institute Q&A with director Julie Taymor; Bill Moyers interview with Julie Taymor; Chavela Vargas interview; the voice of Lila Downs; the vision of Frida: with Rodrigo Prieto and Julie Taymor; the design of "Frida": with Felipe Fernandez; the music of "Frida": with Elliot Goldenthal and Salma Hayek; Salma Hayek's recording session; bringing Frida Kahlo's life and art to film: a walk through real locations; portrait of an artist; "Amobea Proteus" visual FX; "The Brothers Quay" visual FX; Frida Kahlo facts. 122 min.

 

Frida: naturaleza viva. (1984)
Directed by Paul Leduc. Cast: Ofelia Medina, Juan Jose Gurrola, Salvador Sanchez, Max Kerlow, Claudio Brook. On her deathbed, the artist Frida Kahlo recalls her life as a painter and reflects on the effects of her illnesses and injuries and on her relationships with Leon Trotsky, husband Diego Rivera, and others. 1989. 108 min.

 

The Fugitive(Twilight Zone, TV series, 1962)
J. Pat O'Malley, Susan Gordon, Nancy Kulp. "One of Charles Beaumont's most charming Twilight Zone scripts, this episode stars the ubiqitious J. Pat O'Malley as Old Ben, the only ray of sunshine in the life of crippled eight-year-old Jenny (Susan Gordon). Out of earshot of Jenny's harridan guardian Mrs. Gann (Nancy Kulp), Old Ben confesses that he is a fugitive from a distant planet, an assertion that seems to be verified when he miraculously heals Jenny's leg. The arrival of two mysterious strangers leads to an even more startling revelation -- albeit one with happy results. Keep an eye on that photograph in the final scene. "The Fugitive" first aired March 9, 1962." [Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide]

 

Gattaca (1997)
Directed by Andrew Niccol. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Jude Law, Loren Dean. Story about an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. Vincent is an "In-Valid," who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. However, a week before his mission, a murder marks Vincent as a suspect. With a relentless investigator in pursuit and the colleague he has fallen in love with beginning to suspect his deception, Vincent's dreams steadily unravel. 107 min.

 

George Wallace (TV, 1997)
Directed by John Frankenheimer. Cast: Gary Sinise, Mare Winningham, Angelina Jolie, Terry Kinney, William Sanderson. Governor of Alabama, George Wallace was an infamous politician and segregationist. He had a lust for power and status that made him bedfellows with racists and became one of the most destructive and most hated American politicians of his time. Follows George from his early days as a state circuit judge to his presidential run, when he was paralyzed by a would-be assassin. Based on the book by Marshall Frady. Originally broadcast by TNT Aug. 24, 1997.

 

The Gift
Filmmaking debut of actress and playwright Tanya Boyd, known for her role on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. The film is based on a true story about a blind sculptor who is offered surgery that might restore his vision. (Short film in the anthology Afrocentricity)

 

Glass Menagerie (1987)
Directed by Paul Newman. Cast: Joanne Woodward, John Malkovich, Karen Allen, James Naughton. A strong willed woman attempts to impose her shattered dreams into the life and personality of her shy, disabled daughter. Based on the play by Tennessee Williams. 134 min.

 

The Goddess of 1967 (Australia, 2000)
Directed by Clara Law. Cast: Rose Byrne, Rikiya Kurokawa, Nicholas Hope, Elise McCredie. A Japanese man searching for his dream car, a 1967 Citroen DS, travels all the way to Australia to purchase it. When he meets a gorgeous blind girl, the unlikely couple embarks on a strange and erotic journey into the arid Australian desert. 120 min.

 

The Hands of a Stranger (1962)
Directed by Newton Arnold. Cast: Paul Lukather, Joan Harvey, James Stapleton, Irish McCalla, Barry Gordon, Sally Kellerman, Ted Otis. Famous pianist Vernon Paris' hands are crushed in a car accident. An ambitious doctor grafts new hands onto him in a revolutionary experimental operation. Unbeknownst to Paris, the hands are those of a killer and they begin to take over his life, forcing him to commit heinous acts and murder. 85 min.

 

The Hands of Orlac (Olac's hände) (Germany / Austria, 1925)
Directed by Robert Wiene. Cast: Conrad Veidt, Alexandra Sorina, Fritz Kortner, Carmen Cartellieri. A noted concert pianist's hands are severed in a train wreck. A surgeon grafts the hands of an executed strangler onto Orlac's wrists and he begins to believe he is possessed with the mind of the strangler. 98 min.

 

Harvie Krumpet (Australia, 2003)
Directed by Adam Elliot. Animated short. This animated short (in the special features section) presents the odd biography of a man who has Tourette's Syndrome, chronic bad luck, menial jobs, nudist tendencies, and a book of "fakts" hung around his neck. 92 min.

 

Head Against the Wall (La tête contre les murs) (France, 1959)
Directed by Georges Franju. Cast: Pierre Brasseur, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Anouk Aimée, Charles Aznavour. François, a seemingly sane young man is committed to a mental hospital simply on the say-so of his father, irritated because the boy has rifled his desk and destroyed some important legal documents. He soon makes friends with Heurtevent, a sweet epileptic, and both decide to escape from the place. Their attempt is a failure and Heurtevent, unable to get over what he considers a return to hell, commits suicide. But rebellious François tries again and this time he is successful. Based on the novel by Hervé Bazin. Special features: New video interview with Jean-Pierre Mocky, filmed in 2008; new video interview with Charles Aznavour, also filmed in 2008. 93 min.

 

The Horse Whisperer (1998)
Directed by Robert Redford. Cast: Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest, Scarlett Johansson. Fourteen-year-old Grace MacLean and her friend Judith go horseback riding in upstate New York on a winter morning, but their horses lose their footing on ice and slide onto a road, where Judith and her horse are killed by a jackknifing truck. Grace has her right leg amputated, and the frightening incident leaves a lasting trauma not only on Grace but also on her horse, Pilgrim. Grace's mother seeking Grace's recovery, feels there's a link between her crippled, embittered daughter and Pilgrim's behavior. Learning about a horse trainer with a special gift, she takes Grace and Pilgrim to Montana where horse whisperer Tom Booker lives on a ranch with his family. Based on the book by Nicholas Evans. 169 min.

 

Hunchback of Notre Dame
See MRC's Literary Adaptations videography for various versions held by the Center.

 

Inside Moves(1980)
Directed by Richard Donner. Cast: John Savage, David Morse, Diana Scarwid, Amy Wright, Tony Burton. A failed suicide attempt leaves Roary, a former sports star, partially crippled. He begins spending a lot of time at a neighborhood bar full of interesting misfits. Jerry the bartender, himself an injured basketball player, forges a bond with Roary and, with a lot of help, Jerry finds himself playing basketball for the Golden State Warriors. Based on the novel by Todd Walton. Special features: commentary with director, Richard Donner and writer, Brian Helgeland; "Moving from inside: from page to screen" featurette; interviews; still gallery of original shooting script with handwritten notes. 1994. 176 min.

 

Iris (UK | USA, 2001)
Directed by Richard Eyre. Cast: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, Hugh Bonneville, Penelope Wilton. Adapted from the memoirs of literary critic John Bayley, the film recounts his courtship of and long marriage to British novelist Iris Murdoch. The scenario tacks back and forth from the young Iris--ready to seduce one and all with her coy command of words and sex appeal--to the elder Iris--slowly giving way to the cruel erasure of Alzheimer's. Based on the books Iris : a memoir and elegy for Iris and Iris and her friends : a memoir of memory and desire by John Bayley. 91 min.

 

Jiyan (Iraq/USA, 2002)
Directed by Jano Rosebiani. Cast: Kurdo Galali, Enwer Shexani, Coman Hawrami, Derya Qadir, Ehmed Salar, Nasir Hesen, Pisheng Berzinci. Five years following the infamous chemical and biological bombing of Halabja, Diyari, a Kurdish/ American good Samaritan, returns to his homeland to build an orphanage in what is left of Halabja. He meets Jiyan, a ten-year old orphan and survivor of the chemical attack doomed to live with a burn scar covering most of her right cheek. A strong bond between the two ensues and later he names his orphanage after her. 93 min.

 

Johnny Belinda (1948)
Directed by Jean Negulesco. Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead, Stephen McNally, Jan Sterling. Because of her disability, a deaf mute living in a village in Nova Scotia is known as "the dummy," but a compassionate doctor recognizes her innate intelligence and teaches her sign language and lip-reading. 103 min.

 

Johnny Handsome (1989)
Director, Walter Hill. Cast: Mickey Rourke, Ellen Barkin, Elizabeth McGovern, Morgan Freeman, Scott Wilson, Forest Whitaker. A man, born severely deformed, makes his living as a small-time criminal. During a robbery he and his best friend are double-crossed by their partners and he ends up in prison. There he meets a sympathetic surgeon who gives him a new face. When he is released he sets in motion a plan to get revenge on the couple who double-crossed him. 96 min.

 

The Keys to the House (Le chiavi di Casa) (Italy / France / Germany, 2004)
Director, Gianni Amelio. Cast: Kim Rossi Stuart, Charlotte Rampling, Andrea Rossi, Anita Bardeleben, Thorsten Schwarz, Bernd Weikert, Ingrid Appenrodth, Manuel Katzy, Dimitri Susin, Alla Faerovich. Gianni is reunited with Paolo, the 15-year-old physically handicapped son he has never seen, a son he abandoned at birth. The reunion is not Gianni's idea, but that of Paolo's doctor who hopes the connection will benefit the troubled boy. Gianni experiences a Pandora's box in Paolo, full of shocks and wonders, but eventually comes to appreciate the responsibilities and rewards of caring for a handicapped child. 107 min.

 

The King's Speech (2010)
Directed by Tom Hooper. Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi, Jennifer Ehle, Anthony Andrews, Clair Bloom, Eve Best, Michael Gambon. The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome a severe stuttering problem enabling him to assume full command of his role as king. Special features: Featured commentary with director Tom Hooper ; The king's speech: and inspirational story of an unlikely friendship ; Q & A with the director and cast ; Speeches from the real King George VI ; The real Lionel Logue ; The Stuttering Foundation (Public service announcement) 119 min.

 

Kingsize (Kingsajz) (Poland, 1987)
Directed by Juliusz Machulski. Cast: Jacek Chmielnik, Jerzy Stuhr, Katarzyna Figura, Grzegorz Herominski, Joachim Lamza, Maciej Kozowski, Jan Machulski, Leonard Pietraszak, Witold Pyrkosz, Liza Machulska. The story follows a young scientist in the contemporary world, who actually came from the world of dwarves, thanks to a magic potion, held by the Big Eater, ruler of the dwarves. 104 min.

 

Kongo (1933)
Directed by Harry Hook. Cast: Walter Huston ; Lupe Velez ; Conrad Nagel ; Virginia Bruce ; C. Henry Gordon ; Mitchell Lewis ; Forrester Harvey ; Curtis Nero. This nearly forgotten horror film is a remake of West of Zanzibar (1928). From a wheelchair a handicapped white man rules an area of Africa as a living god. He rules the local natives through superstition and stage magic and he rules the few white people through sadism, keeping them virtual prisoners. He lives for the day he can avenge himself horribly on the man who stole his wife and crushed his spine. 86 min.

 

Kounandi (Burkina Faso, 2003)
Directed by Apolline Traore. Cast: Deborah Coty, Noufou Ouedraogo, Aminata Dao, Kamsa Traore, Korotimi Traore, Adama Kone. In this adult fairy tale Kounandi, a young beauty often scorned and overlooked because of her dwarfism, earns her living and finds village favor making delicious cup cakes. Kounandi falls in love with Karim only to discover that he is married to Awa who is dying. Kounandi mystically sacrifices her lifeforce (and cup cake pan) as a gift to the couple. In Jula with English subtitles. 50 min.

 

Life on a String (Bian zou bian chang) (China, 1991)
Director, Chen Kaige. Cast: Liu Zhongyuan, Huang Lei, Xu Qing. Story of a saintly blind man who as a boy was promised the restoration of his sight if he devoted his life to music. He and a young blind disciple travel the countryside seeking enlightenment and inspiring people with their singing and banjo playing. 107 min.

 

The Light Ahead (Fishke der krumer) (USA, 1939)
Director, Edgar G. Ulmer. Cast: Isidore Cashier, Helen Beverley, David Opatoshu. Story of Fishke, a lame man who is a ward of the Jewish community and his love for the blind woman, Hodl. They are kept from marrying until a traveling bookseller turns the community's fear of the supernatural to the couple's advantage. Adapted from the work of Mendele Mokher Seforim. In Yiddish with English subtitles. 94 min.

 

Light That Came(1909)
Directed by D.W. Griffith. Biograph ; with Ruth Hart, Owen Moore, Mary Pickford, Kate Bruce, Arthur Johnson. A disfigured young woman with two beautiful sisters is courted by a blind man. Will he still love her when his sight is restored? 11 min.

 

Lili (1953)
Directed by Charles Walters. Cast: Leslie Caron, Mel Ferrer, Jean Pierre Aumont. A musical drama in which a shy, young orphan girl is befriended by a crippled puppeteer and his group of carnival puppets. 81 min.

 

The Lip Reader (Seinfeld)(TV, 1993)
Directed by Tom Cherones. Cast: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander, Wayne Knight, Christopher Darga, Linda Kash, Jerry Sroka, Marlee Matlin. "Jerry dates an attractive tennis lines woman only to discover that she is hearing-impaired, but able to read lips. George gets caught acting like a slob on live television at the tennis match and gets dumped, so he tries to use the lip-reader to spy on his girlfriend to see if she's telling the truth. Kramer tries to prove that he can read lips as well as Jerry's girlfriend, while Elaine accidentally offends a limo driver and tries to make up for it, but the plans backfire."

 

The Little Coach (El Cochecito)(Spain, 1960)
Directed by Marco Ferreri. Cast: Jose Isbert, Jose A. Lepe, Maria Luise Ponte, Pedro Porcel, Jose Luis Lopez Vasquez. A black comedy about an old man who wants a motorized bicycle so he can ride through town with his crippled friends. When his family refuses to buy him a bike as well he methodically poisons his family members one by one, using their tiny legacies to finance his purchase. Strange but true: the audience's sympathy is with the elder gent in this study of aging, loneliness, neglect and rebellion. Based on the novel: El cochecito / Rafael Azcona. 90 min.

 

The Little Girl Who Sold The Sun (La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil) (Senegal / France / Switzerland / Germany, 1999)
Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty (Senegal, 1998) A parable which uses the struggles of a young crippled girl in Dakar trying to earn her living in the market place selling newspapers to mirror Africa's role in the international marketplace. 44 min.

 

Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)
Directed by Joe Mantello. Cast: John Glover, Stephen Spinella, Stephen Bogardus, John Benjamin Hickey, Justin Kirk, Randy Becker, Jason Alexander. Eight friends leave the city behind for three simple weekends of relaxation in the country. The host is a gay man and so are his seven guests--one of whom is blind, and one who is dying of AIDS. They love and hate, play and wrangle, kiss and carry on, are connubially devoted or brazenly promiscuous in this comic treatment of gay relationships. 120 min.

 

Mad Love (1935)
Directed by Karl Freund. Cast: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive, Ted Healy, Edward Brophy. An insane surgeon's obsession with an actress leads him to replace her husband's wounded pianist's hands with the hands of a knife murderer which still have the urge to throw knives. 68 min.

 

Magnificent Obsession (1934)
Directed by Douglas Sirk. Cast: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Agnes Moorehead, Gregg Palmer. Helen Phillips (Jane Wyman) loses her sight after being hit by a car. The man driving (Rock Hudson) works his way into her life and they fall in love. Oscar 106 min

 

The Man Who Laughs (1927)
Director, Paul Leni. Cast: Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin, Olga Baclanova, Josephine Crowell, Cesare Gravina. A nobleman's son is kidnapped and then mutilated by a gypsy "surgeon" who carves a permanent smile on the man by order of King James II. He becomes a clown with a circus troupe where he meets and falls in love with a beautiful blind girl, the one person who cannot be repulsed by his appearance. Based on the Victor Hugo novel L'Homme Qui Rit. 110 min.

 

Mary and Max (Australia, 2009)
Directed by Adam Elliot. Animated feature. Voices: Eric Bana, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Barry Humphries. Mary and Max: Mary is a lonely eight-year-old in the suburbs of Melbourne. Struggling with questions that no one can answer, she writes to Max, an obese 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger's Syndrome living in New York City, which starts a friendship that spans 20 years and two continents. Based on a true story. Story of the miracle of a little boy, abandoned at a monastery, who is discovered to be talking with Jesus Christ. 92 min.

 

Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Directed by John Schlesinger. Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Brenda Vaccaro, John McGiver, Ruth White, Sylvia Miles. A Texas "cowboy" takes a bus to New York in search of lonely, rich women who will pay for his sexual services, but instead spends a hard winter looking after a dying, crippled derelict. 113 min.

 

The Mighty (1998)
Directed by Peter Chelsom. Cast: Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands, Harry Dean Stanton, Gillian Anderson. With his loving and supportive mother, 13-year-old Kevin moves in next door to another teen, Max. Though both have problems that label them as outcasts, Kevin and Max discover that by proudly combining their strengths and uniting as one, they can overcome their individual limitations and triumph over any adversity. As the two set out on a series of courageous adventures, they find the mightiest treasure of all: friendship! 100 min.

 

Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Cast: Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie. Frankie is a former boxing manager, who initially refuses to train Maggie due to her gender and age. With her talent and his coaching the spirited young fighter rises through the ranks of women's boxing, the pair form a touching bond in the process. "The film has raised a great deal of controversy over a theme that, while a vital part of the film, has been underplayed in its marketing campaign and carefully skirted in reviews. At issue is the film's depiction of assisted suicide. When the fighter portrayed by Swank receives a sucker punch in the ring, she is paralyzed from the neck down. Unwilling to live that way, she begs Eastwood's character to help her die, and finally, after much soul-searching, he does." [Terri Mauro, "Is "Million Dollar Baby" Dangerous?"] 132 min.

 

Miracle Worker (1962)
Directed by Arthur Penn. Cast: Anne Bancroft (Annie Sullivan), Patty Duke (Helen Keller), Victor Jory, Inga Swenson, Andrew Prine, Kathleen Comegys. Based on true events this is a dramatization of the struggle of a Boston teacher, Annie Sullivan, to communicate with and teach the deaf, blind, and mute child, Helen Keller. Based on William Gibson's play. 106 min.

 

Miracle Worker (TV, 1979)
Directed by Paul Aaron. Cast: Patty Duke Astin (Annie Sullivan), Melissa Gilbert (Helen Keller), Diana Muldaur, Charles Siebert. A dramatization of the true story of the struggle of a Boston teacher, Annie Sullivan, to communicate with and teach the deaf, blind, and mute child, Helen Keller. Original television drama made in 1979. Based on William Gibson's play. 98 min.

 

Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962)
Paramount Pictures. Animated musical version of Dickens' classic featuring the enormously near-sighted Mr. Magoo. 52 min.

 

Moonstruck(1987)
Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Vincent Gardenia, Danny Aiello. Johnny (Danny Aiello) asks fiancee Loretta (Cher) to make amends with his estranged brother, Ronny (Nicholas Cage), while he goes to Italy to tend to his dying mother. Loretta and Ronny fall in love over opera. Ronny lost his hand in an accident and uses an artificial hand. DVD includes sound disc: Harden my heart / Quarterflash -- Come on Eileen / Dexy's Midnight Runners -- Obsession / Animotion -- Up where we belong / Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes -- Everybody wants to rule the world / Tears for Fears -- Tainted love / Soft Cell -- Breakout / Swing Out Sister -- Addicted to love / Robert Palmer. 103 min.

 

Moulin Rouge (1952)
Directed by John Huston. Cast: Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Suzanne Flon, Eric Pohlmann, Colette Marchand, Christopher Lee, Michael Balfour. "Toulouse-Lautrec, 19th century French artist who was a 'dwarf', caused by accident when a child. Played in long shots by a dwarf actor. The rest of the time by Ferrer on his knees. The film shows Lautrec's fall when a boy and the operation which is not a success and led to his restricted growth. When young he uses two sticks and later as a man only one." [from Films Involving Disabilities]. Lautrec also shows up as a minor character in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001) [DVD 976] 119 min.

 

My Left Foot (Ireland / UK, 1989)
Directed by Jim Sheridan. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Ray McAnally, Brenda Fricker, Cyril Cusack, Fiona Shaw, Hugh O'Conor, Adrian Dunbar, Ruth McCabe, Alison Whelan. Based on Christy Brown's true life story, My Left Foot features Daniel Day-Lewis' Academy Award winning performance as a man who triumphs over impossible odds to achieve greatness. DVD Special features: "The real Christy Brown" featuring biographical details on Brown (5 min.) ; "An inspirational journey : the making of 'My left foot' " with commentaries on the pre-production process (11 min.); stills gallery; "My left foot" reviews from the Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and the LA Weekly. 103 min.

 

Night is My Future (Morkret ar min framtid; aka Music Is My Future; Musik i mörker) (Sweden, 1947)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Mai Zetterling, Birger Malmsten, Olof Winnerstrand, Naima Wifstrand, Hilda Borgstrom, Douglas Hage. In this poignant love story a young soldier is wounded in the war and loses his eyesight. Back home he develops a platonic relationship with his maid, but they eventually go their separate ways. After many years when they meet again, can friedship become love? 88 min.

 

'Night Mother (1986)
Directed by Tom Moore. Cast: Sissy Spacek, Anne Bancroft. A taut, emotional study about a mother's attempt to stop her distraught daughter from committing suicide. Based on the play by Marsha Norman. 97 min.

 

Night on Earth (France / UK / Germany / USA / Japan, 1991)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch. A collection of five stories involving cab drivers in five different cities. In one story, a blind girl takes a ride with a cab driver from the Ivory Coast and they talk about life and blindness. 125 min.

 

Notting Hill (UK | USA, 1999)
Directed by Roger Michell. Cast: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, James Dreyfus, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee. The life of a simple bookshop owner changes when he meets the most famous film star in the world, but can they fall in love while the whole world is watching? Gina McKee's turn here as Grant's wheelchair-bound female friend, Bela, is of someone with deeply felt individuality and unique perceptiveness, including her own tender perspective on loves past and present -- especially her husband. Bonus materials: Feature commentary with director Roger Michell, producer Duncan Kenworthy, and writer Richard Curtis -- Hugh Grant's movie tips -- Deleted scenes -- Music highlights -- The travel book. 124 min.

 

Oasis (Korea, 2002)
Directed by Lee Chang-dong. Cast: Kyung-gu Sol, So-ri Moon, Nae-sang Ahn, Seung-wan Ryoo. A mentally handicapped young man is haunted by a crime that landed him in prison, a hit-and-run accident that resulted in the death of an old man. After his release from prison he goes to visit the victim's family, and meets Gong-ju, the man's daughter, who has cerebral palsy. The two begin an unlikely love affair that exposes the callousness and uncomfortable secrets of both of their families. 133 min.

 

Of Human Bondage (1934)
Director, John Cromwell. Cast: Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Frances Dee, Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Alan Hale, Reginald Owen. The poignant story of a cripped medical student's love for a crude and vulgar waitress which results in a mutually destructive relationship. 83 min.

 

On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Directed by Nicholas Ray. Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond, Charles Kemper. A tough cop falls in love with the blind sister of a mentally defective murderer. 82 min.

 

Open Hearts (Elsker dig for evigt) (Denmark, 2002)
Directed by Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen. Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen, Stine Bjerregaard, Birthe Neumann, Niels Olsen, Ulf Pilgaard. A film about an engaged couple that is torn apart after the man is paralyzed in an accident, and the woman falls in love with the husband of the woman who caused the accident. 109 min.

 

Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) (Spain / France / Italy, 1997)
Director, Alejandro Amenábar. Cast: Penelope Cruz, Chete Lera, Fele Martinez, Eduardo Noriega, Najwa Nimri. In this steamy, intriguingly complex, psychological thriller the line between reality and fantasy is hopelessly blurred. Cesar tries to make sense of his life after a car crash leaves his once-handsome face grotesquely disfigured. After he is placed into a psychiatric penitentiary for a murder he doesn't remember committing, Cesar's only hope is to delve into the depths of his subconscious mind where the answer to ending his living nightmare lies in his dreams. 117 min.

 

The Orphanage (El orfanato) (Mexico / Spain, 2007)
Directed by Juan Antonio Bayona. Cast: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla, Andres Gertrudix, Edgar Vivar. A mother of a young boy decides to purchase the orphanage she spent her own childhood in, hoping to restore and reopen the long abandoned facility as both a home for them and a school for disabled children. However, her son's imagination seems to run wild in their new home, as he becomes increasingly involved with a group of seemingly imaginary friends. Special features: "When Laura grew up: constructing The orphanage" featurette (18 min.); "Tomas' secret room" production featurette (11 min.); "Horror in the unknown: make-up effects" featurette (10 min.); "Rehearsal studio" featurette (4 min.); still gallery; "Marketing Campaign" teasers and trailers (6 min.); poster gallery; 105min.

 

Orphans of the Storm (1921)
Directed by D.W. Griffith. Cast: Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish. Re-creating the aristocratic splendor and devastating poverty of 18th century France, D.W. Griffith created an emotionally-charged drama with political intrigue, spectacle, and his usual degree of social moralizing. The plot concerns two orphaned sisters, the resourceful Henriette and the blind Louise, who arrive in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution. As the Revolution unfolds, they are exploited, misused, separated and finally threatened with the guilliotine before the happy ending. 150 min.

 

Paa (India, 2009)
Directed by Abhishek Chaubey. Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Paresh Rawal, Vidya Balan, Amitabh Bachchan. A drama focusing on a politician's relationship with his unusual son. Auro is an intelligent, witty 13-year-old boy with an extremely rare genetic defect that causes accelerated aging. He suffers from a progeria like syndrome. Despite appearing nearly five times older than his actual age, Auro is content thanks to the unconditional love of his parents. He lives with his mother Vidya, who is a gynecologist, and his father Amol Arte, a young, progressive, and full of ideals politician. 143 min.

 

Passion Fish (1992)
Directed by John Sayles. Cast: Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Leo Burmester, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Nora Dunn. A bitter wisecracking soap opera star returns home to rural Louisiana after an auto accident leaves her paralyzed. Her cruel but hilarious humor and hard drinking drive away a succession of nurses until she meets her match in Chantelle, who has her own problems. Together, they form an unlikely friendship and explore the Louisiana bayou, as well as the murkier waters of men, romance, and family. 135 min.

 

Passion of Anna (En Passion)(Sweden, 1969)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Cast: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, Erland Josephson. "A woman widowed and disabled in a car accident travels to an isolated island. While there she calls at a house to use the phone. It belongs to an ex-convict living as a recluse. She leaves her purse behind, he looking for a name reads a letter of hers revealing how unhappy and lonely she is. Later she moves in with him but the escape of a 'lunatic' precipitates discord between them." [from disabilityfilms.co.uk 101 min.

 

A Patch of Blue (1965)
Directed by Guy Green. Cast: Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Elizabeth Hartman, Wallace Ford. Accidentally blinded as a child, 18-year-old Selina D'Arcey falls in love with a gentle and charming man, Gordon Ralfe, whom she meets in a rare visit to a park. Her racist mother declares that because Gordon is black, their relationship cannot continue, forcing Selina to choose between her family and her heart. Based on "Be ready with bells and drums" by Elizabeth Kata. 105 min.

 

The Penalty (1920, silent)
Directed by Wallace Worsley. Cast: Lon Chaney, Ethel Grey Terry, Charles Clary, Clair Adams, Kenneth Harlan. An incompetent doctor amputates the legs of a young boy who grows up to be the embittered Blizzard, a criminal mastermind who orchestrates a bizarre and heinous plot to avenge himself. 93 min.

 

The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton. Based on the true story of the notorius Hustler publisher who was sued by the Religious Right and paralyzed by a fanatic's bullet who took his case to the Supreme Court in defense of free speech and First Amendment rights. Chronicles Flynt's raunchy business savvy, his wildly unconventional marriage and his infamous courtroom antics. 130 min.

 

The Personals (Zheng hun qi shi) (Taiwan, 1998)
Directed by Chen Kuo-fu. An attractive and successful ophthalmologist quits her job and places a personal ad in the newspaper. She has a specific purpose in her ad - she is looking for marriage. After a series of blind dates with men who are either lonely, desperate, strange, perverted, or all of the above, what she really wants is her mysterious ex-lover to came back to her. 105 min.

 

Peter Pan (1953)
Directors: Clyde Geronimi Wilfred Jackson, et al. Disney. On the villainous Captain Hook, Paul Longmore, associate professor of history and director of the Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University, has commented "...there are many villains with disabilities, and that reflects a very old idea that disability causes a loss of moral self-control," Longmore says. This particular type has flourished through popular characters such as Captain Hook in "Peter Pan," Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life" and the formidable Darth Vader in "Star Wars" (who required a mechanical breathing apparatus to survive)." (Quest, vol. 4, no. 4) 76 min.

 

Phantom of the Opera (1925, silent)
Directed by Rupert Julian. Cast: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Arthur Edmund Carewe. A mad and disfigured musician hides out in the dungeons under the Paris Opera where he falls in love with a young singer and lures her to his hiding place. 79 min.

 

Phantom of the Opera (UK, 1962)
Directed by Terence Fisher. Cast: Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Thorley Walters. A madman called the Phantom terrorizes an opera house. When a singer named Christine is contacted by the specter, her producer tracks him to his underground lair and finds he is a brilliant but disfigured composer demanding revenge. Christine is the Phantom's only weakness and he pays the ultimate price to keep his love for her. 85 min.

 

Phantom of the Opera (1962)
Directed by Arthur Lubin. Cast: Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, Edgar Barrier, Leo Carrillo, J. Edward Bromberg. A melodrama about a strange man who lives in the catacombs below the Paris Opera House and his love affair with an opera starlet whom he tutors. 93 min.

 

The Piano (Australia / New Zealand / France, 1993)
Directed by Jane Campion. Cast: Holly Hunter Harvey Keitel Sam Neill Anna Paquin Kerry Walker Genevieve Lemon. A young mute woman and her child travel to New Zealand in the 1800's for an arranged marriage to a farmer there. After the marriage she meets another man, and the competition for her love begins. Only one of the men realizes that her affections can only be won through her beloved piano.

 

Post Concussion (2000)
Directed by Daniel Yoon. Cast: Daniel Yoon, Jennifer Welch, Michael Hohmeyer, Destry Miller, C. B. Yoon. Based on events in the director's own life, the film tells a brutally funny, yet oddly inspiring portrayal of one man's adventures after a serious head injury. A young San Francisco management consultant is struck by a car and sustains a serious concussion. Terminated by his employer, dumped by his girlfriend, and stalked by New Age healers, he finds a way to rediscover himself, his family and the meaning of true friendship. 82 min.

 

Ray (2004)
Directed by Taylor Hackford. Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Bokeem Woodbine, Aunjanue Ellis, Sharon Warren, C.J. Sanders. Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven. Inspired by his mother who insisted he make his own way, he found his calling at the keyboard. 'Ray' follows as he overcomes drug addiction while becoming one of America's most beloved performers. 153 min.

 

Reach for the Sky (UK, 1956)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert. Cast: Kenneth More, Muriel Pavlow, Lyndon Brook, Lee Patterson, Alexander Knox, Dorothy Alison, Sydney Tafter, Jack Watling, Nigel Green. The amazing story of Douglas Bader, who after losing both legs as a result of an aeroplane crash, overcame insurmountable odds to not only master the art of walking with two artificial legs, but to dance, play golf, and to become one of the most remarkable fighter aces in history. 135 min.

 

Red Like the Sky (Rosso come il cielo) (Italy, 2006)
Directed by Cristiano Bortone. Cast: Francesco Campobasso, Luca Capriotti, Paolo Sassanelli, Marco Cocci. Inspired by the true story of Mirco Mencacci, one of the most gifted Italian sound editors working today. Federico and Mirco are eight years old and both blind. The former is shy and introverted, the latter is outgoing and hyperactive. Enroled in a special school for the blind in Genoa, Mirco does not accept his new condition. But he is feisty and determined. When he finds an old tape recorder and a few used reels and discovers that by cutting and splicing tape he can create little fairy tales made only of sounds, a brand-new world opens up to him. 96 min.

 

Romola (1925)
Directed by Henry King. Cast: Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, William Powell, Ronald Colman. The story of Romola, daughter of Bardo Bardi, a blind philosopher at a time when the Medici ruled Florence. Adapted from the novel by George Eliot. 117 min.

 

Rory O'Shea Was Here (aka Inside I'm Dancing) (UK / Ireland / France, 2004)
Directed by Damien O'Donnell. Cast: James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, Romola Garai, Gerard McSorley, Tom Hickey, Brenda Fricker. An inspiring story of independence that follows two unlikely friends determined to face the world on their own terms. Young Michael is a patient who is resigned to his quiet life within an institution's safe, predictable boundaries. Then, the rebellious Rory O'Shea bursts onto the scene. Now, with the help of the beautiful young Siobhan, who signs on as the boys' live-in aide, Rory will show Michael what it takes to truly be free. 104 min.

 

Roxanne (1987)
Director, Fred Schepisi. Cast: Steve Martin, Daryl Hannah, Shelley Duvall, Rick Rossovich, Fred Willard, Michael J. Pollard. A comic modernization of Cyrano de Bergerac, with Martin playing a small town fire chief, C.D. Bales, who has an astonishingly long nose. He harbors a secret love for a beautiful astronomy student, Roxanne, who is attracted to another man. Based on the play: Cyrano de Bergerac / by Edmond Rostand. 107 min.

 

Scent of a Woman (1992)
Directed by Martin Brest. Cast: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, Gabrielle Anwar, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoping to earn extra money, an innocent and reserved scholarship student at an exclusive prep school agrees to look after a blind, retired Lieutenant Colonel, who takes him off for a wild weekend in New York City. 157 min.

 

The Sea Inside (Mar adentro) (Spain / France / Italy, 2004)
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Cast: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Dueñas, Mabel Rivera, Celso Bugallo, Clara Segura, Joan Dalmau, Alberto Jimenez, Tamar Novas. Based on a true story, Ramon Sampedro wants to end his life because a diving accident 28 years before that turned him into a quadriplegic. For most of those years he made the most of it: writing, developing a close relationships with his family, who all help to care for him. While grateful to his family and friends for their help, Ramon was always an active person. He has come to see his life as frustrating and pointless and wishes to die with what remains of his dignity. Gene is a friend who works with a "Right to Die" organization who introduces Ramon to Julia, a lawyer he hopes will help him persuade the courts to let him end his own life. As Ramon and Julia work together on his case, Ramon finds himself falling in love with his attorney, but Ramon remains convinced that the greatest gift to him would be an end to his life. 125 min.

 

The Secret Garden (UK, TV, 1975)
Directed by Katrina Murray. Cast: Sarah Hollis Andrews, John Woodnutt, David Patterson, Jacqueline Hoyle. In 19th-century India, little Mary Lennox is suddenly orphaned by cholera. Her only living relative is her crook-backed uncle, Archibald Craven, so Mary is sent to live at his estate on the Yorkshire moors. Rude and unpleasant, Mary gradually begins to change as she explores the manor and grows to know some of the servants, particularly her maid Martha, and Ben Weatherstaff the gardener. With the help of a robin, Mary discovers a secret garden. She also discovers a cousin she never knew she had, and begins to form plans that transform her cousin, the garden, and ultimately herself. Based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 200 min.

 

The Secret Garden (UK / US, 1993)
Directed by Agnieszka Holland. Cast: Sarah Hollis Andrews, John Woodnutt, David Patterson, Jacqueline Hoyle. "Young Mary Lennox is orphaned by an earthquake in India and sent to England to live with her uncle in a cold ancestral manor in Yorkshire. Mary briefly meets him, still mourning for the wife who died ten years ago, but she is mostly left on her own. A resourceful and inquisitive girl, she soon makes two exciting discoveries. First she finds an overgrown secret garden, the favourite of her aunt and locked up since her death. Second, that she has a cousin, Colin, a sickly lad who has been told he must remain in bed out of the daylight at all times. Once Mary and another new friend, local lad Dickon, have brought the garden back to life they decide Colin must see it, a decision that will change several lives." [IMDB] Based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 102 min.

 

Shirley Adams (South Africa | USA | UK, 2009)
Directed by Oliver Hermanus. Cast: Denise Newman, Keenan Arrison, Emily Child, Theresa Sedras, Gamiet Peterson. In this deeply affecting portrait of ordinary courage in present-day South Africa, a single mother, Shirley Adams, struggles to care for her paraplegic teenage son, Donovan, in a depressed district on the outskirts of Cape Town. Wearied but resolute, she desperately clings to him as he withdraws from the world following a suicide attempt, and is hopeful when his spirits are momentarily lifted by the appearance of Tamsin, a pretty but overeager social worker. But when the relationship between Donovan and Tamsin sours, his fragile emotional health declines, and Shirley's faith and perseverance are put to the ultimate test. 92 min.

 

The Silence (Sukut. Sokout. Sokhout). (Iran, 1998)
Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Cast: Tahmineh Normatova, Nadereh Abdelahyeva, Golbibi Ziadolahyeva, Hakem Ghassem, Araz M. Mohamadli. From one of Iran's most celebrated filmmakers comes a hypnotic symphony of visual and aural rhythms. It follows the life of Khorshid, a blind 10-year-old boy who experiences life through hypnotic sounds and the music of the world. 75 min.

 

Simon Birch (1998)
Directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Cast: Joseph Mazzello, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, Ian Michael Smith, Dana Ivey, Ashley Judd. Even though Simon Burch is the smallest kid in town, he is sure that someday he's going to be a hero ... he's just not sure how. 114 min.

 

The Singing Detective (Australia / UK, 1988)
Directed by Jon Amiel. Cast: Michael Gambon, Patrick Malahide, Joanne Whalley, Janet Suzman. The hallucinations of a mystery writer stricken with a crippling skin disorder interweave memories of his past with a plot casting him in the role of a suave sleuth who croons with a big band.

 

The Singing Detective (USA, 2003)
Directed by Keith Gordon. Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Robin Wright Penn, Jeremy Northam, Katie Holmes, Carla Gugino, Adrien Brody, Jon Polito, Saul Rubinek.Bedridden with an excruciating case of skin-rotting psoriasis, novelist Dan Dark escapes into his vivid imagination. There, gunmen and private detectives pursue their own unusual agendas, often casting himself as the titular "warbler" whose pain and anger is focused like a laser on his cheating wife and anyone else who's made his real and imaginary worlds unbearable. 108 min.

 

South Park. Insults to Injuries (1946)
Contents: It hits the fan -- Cripple fight -- Proper condom use -- Scott Tenorman must die. In "It Hits the Fan" the citizens of South Park use the word "sh*t" 162 times after the word is popularized on a favorite TV show. However a mysterious plague seems to be linked to the use of this word. Only Chef and the boys can stop the plague. In "Cripple Fight" a new handicapped boy steals attention away from Timmy with his stand-up comedy. Timmy's jealousy grows until it explodes in a knock-down, drag out fight with the new boy. In "Proper Condom Use" the parents of South Park refuse to talk about sexual education with their children and force the public school to teach them instead. The incompetent teachers frighten and misinform the children. It's up to the cool-thinking Chef to save the day. In "Scott Tenorman Must Die" Cartman is cheated out of some money by an older boy. After several failed attempts to get his money back, he concocts his master scheme of revenge. Originally broadcast as four episodes of the television series South Park in 2001. 88 min.

 

South Park. Timmy
Contents: Timmy 2000 -- 4th grade -- Helen Keller, the musical -- The tooth fairy's tats 2000. Timmy 2000: When Timmy is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, it triggers a wave of prescription drug abuse at South Park Elementary. 4th grade: The boys are in the 4th grade but they miss the joys of 3rd grade, so they come up with a daring complicated plan to travel back in time a year, with the help of Timmy and his electric wheelchair. Hellen Keller, the musical: The Thanksgiving play is in trouble and Stan, Klye and Kenny are going to great lengths to make the production a hit while Timmy tries his hardest to show the other kids that his new pet turkey can be the star of their show. Tooth Fairy's tats 2000: When Cartman discovers that the Tooth Fairy is paying a premium price for his lost teeth, he seizes the opportunity to make some cash. Originally broadcast as four episodes of the television series South Park in 2000. 88 min.

 

Sparsa (Sparsh) (India, 1980)
Directed by Sai Paranjpye. Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Sudha Chopra, Om Puri. Anirund Parma is the blind principal of a school for the blind, but he does not allow this handicap to get in his way. He falls in love with a social worker and plans to marry her, but begins to have reservations about the marriage as he feels that he is being pitied.

 

The Spiral Staircase (1946)
Directed by Robert Siodmak. Cast: Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Ethel Barrymore, Kent Smith, Rhonda Fleming, Gordon Oliver, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Allgood, Rhys Williams. A terrifying melodrama about a mute servant girl in a gloomy house who is threatened by a mysterious killer. 83 min.

 

The Station Agent (2002)
Directed by Tom McCarthy. Cast: Patricia Clarkson, Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale. A young man born with dwarfism inherits a train station in rural New Jersey and moves there for a life of quiet solitude. He soon finds friendships and a sense of belonging that he never expected, and never thought he wanted. 89 min

 

Stella Maris (1918)
Directed by Frances Marion. Cast: Mary Pickford, Conway Tearle, Marcia Manon, Ida Waterman, Herbert Standing. Stella Maris is a beautiful, crippled girl, who is cared for by a rich family. They shield her from the harsh realities of the world, so that she has no idea of the cruel things that some people do. Unity Blake is a poor orphan all too familiar with the harsh realities of the real world. These two young women both fall in love with John, love which is complicated by the fact that he is still married to (though separated from) a bad wife. Based on a novel by William J. Locke. 94 min.

 

Stolen Face (UK, 1952)
Directed by Terence Fisher. Cast: Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott, Mary Mackenzie, Andre Morell, John Wood. A plastic surgeon has a brief fling with a concert pianist, who leaves him to return to her previous boyfriend. He finds a horribly scared patient and fashions her face into the image of his former lover and enters into a marriage that is disappointing. 72 min.

 

The Stratton Story (1949)
Directed by Sam Wood. Cast: James Stewart, June Allyson, Frank Morgan, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Williams. The true story of Chicago White sox pitcher, Monty Stratton. Stratton suffers a devastating hunting accident which leads to the amputation of one leg. Learning to walk with an artificial limb, he struggles to resume his career. 102 min.

 

The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
Directed by Atom Egoyan. Cast: Ian Holm, Maury Chaykin, Peter Donaldson, Bruce Greenwood, David Hemblen, Brooke Johnson, Arsinee Khanjian, Tom McCamus, Stephanie Morgenstern, Earl Pastko, Sarah Polley, Gabrielle Rose, Alberta Watson. Following a tragic schoolbus accident, high-profile lawyer Mitchell Stephens descends upon a small town. With promises of retribution and a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the grieving community, Stephens begins his investigation into the details of the crash. But beneath the town's calm, he uncovers a tangled web of lies, deceit and forbidden desires that mirrors his own troubled personal life. Gradually, we learn that Stephens has his own agenda, and that everyone has secrets to keep. 116 min.

 

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun naui geot)(South Korea, 2002)
Directed by Chan-wook Park. Cast: Song Kang-Ho, Shin Ha-Kyun, Bae Doo-Na. A deaf-mute needs to raise money for a kidney transplant for his sister's life-saving operation. He kidnaps an wealthy businessman's daughter, but a tragic accident sets both him and the child's father on fateful paths of vengeance. Special features: Interview with Park Chan-Wook, production featurettes, cast and crew interviews, teasers and trailers. 129 min.

 

Talk To Her (Habla con ella) (Spain, 2002)
Directed by Pedro Almódovar. Cast: Javier Camara, Dario Grandinetti, Leonor Watling, Rosario Flores, Mariola Fuentes, Geraldine Chaplin. In a private clinic Barco and Benigno strike up a friendship while caring for comatose women. Benigno is the caregiver for Alicia, a beautiful dance student and Marco is there to visit his girlfriend Lydia, a famous matador also in a coma. As the men wage vigil over the women they love, the story unfolds in flashback and flashforward as the lives of the four move toward a surprising conclusion. 114 min.

 

Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (1970)
Directed by Otto Preminger. Cast: Liza Minnelli, Ken Howard, Robert Moore, James Coco, Kay Thompson, Fred Williamson, Nancy Marchand, Anne Revere. Junie Moon's face has been disfigured by ill-gotten burns, and depends on her friends and her wit to cope. She, Arthur, an epileptic who has wrongly been diagnosed as mentally retarded and Warren who is confined to a wheelchair, leave the hospital together. They yearn for independence and find a house to live in. Together they stumble into adventures involving the local fish vendor, nosy neighbors, surreptitious vacations, love, and frustration in finding jobs as they face subtle prejudices in their community, and their own particular medical problems. Based on the novel by Marjorie Kellogg. 113 min.

 

The Terror of Tinytown (1938)
Directed by Sam Newfield. Cast: Billy Curtis, Yvonne Moray, Little Billy, Billy Platt, Fern McDill, Sam Newfield. A cast of midgets conduct the traditional rudiments of westerns, riding Shetland ponies and hauling the villain beneath the swinging doors of the saloon. 62 min.

 

This Woman Is Dangerous (1952)
Directed by Felix Feist. Cast: Joan Crawford, Dennis Morgan, David Brian, Richard Webb, Mari Aldon . A melodrama where Crawford plays a hardened mobster who's about to go blind. On top of this she is being watched by the police and is burdened by an overly jealous boyfriend. She goes to Indianapolis to consult an expert eye surgeon to repair her eyes and ends up falling hopelessly in love with him. Will she be able to forget her seedy past and make a fresh start? From a story by Bernard Girard. 97 min.

 

Tommy (UK, 1975)
Directed by Ken Russell. Cast: The Who (Music group), Ann Margret, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, Tina Turner, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Paul Nicholas, Robert Powell. The classic rock opera by Pete Townsend about a boy, traumatized by the murder of his father, who becomes deaf, dumb and blind. Growing into manhood he is subjected to bizarre cure attempts by The Acid Queen, the Preacher, and the Specialist. In spite of his handicap, Tommy defeats the Pinball Wizard, attains a devoted following and finally cured, is hailed by his fans as a "Messiah". 108 min.

 

Torch Song (1953)
Directed by Charles Walters. Cast: Joan Crawford, Michael Wilding, Gig Young, Marjorie Rambeau. Tells the story of a hard as nails Broadway musical star who chews up people for lunch. Romance enters her life in the form of her new piano accompanist, blinded war-veteran Tye Graham. The fact that Graham refuses to kowtow to the temperamental Jenny's demands, coupled with the adversarial behavior of Graham's seeing-eye dog, makes the pianist all the more attractive to the lonely songstress. Based on a story by I. A. R. Wylie. Special features: "Tough Baby: Torch Song"; classic cartoon, "TV of Tomorrow"; vintage Crawford, Jimmy Fund Public Service Announcement trailer; audio only bonus, Crawford recording sessions; theatrical trailer. 89 min.

 

Trapeze (1956)
Director, Carol Reed. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, Katy Jurado, Thomas Gomez. Mike Ribble (Burt Lancaster), a retired crippled aerialist, agrees to teach young American acrobat Tino Orsini (Tony Curtis) the triple somersault. But when both fall in love with the beautiful Lola -- who uses them to further her own ambitions -- the triangle threatens all of their dreams. Includes "truly breathtaking stunt sequences performed by the cream of the European big-top circuit." 106 min.

 

The Unknown (1927)
Director, Tod Browning. Cast: Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford. Alonzo the Armless (Chaney) throws knives for a living -- with his feet, because he is supposedly armless. Nanon Zanzi (Crawford) is his assistant who, fearful of the touch of any man's hand, fancies him. Perhaps Chaney's most bizarre work. 61 min.

 

Vanilla Sky (2001)
Directed by Cameron Crowe. Cast: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell, Jason Lee, Noah Taylor, Timothy Spall, Tilda Swinton, Cameron Diaz. In this steamy, intriguingly complex, psychological thriller the line between reality and fantasy is hopelessly blurred. David tries to make sense of his life after a car crash leaves his once-handsome face grotesquely disfigured. After he is placed into a psychiatric penitentiary for a murder he doesn't remember committing, David's only hope is to delve into the depths of his subconscious mind where the answer to ending his living nightmare lies in his dreams. 135 min.

 

Vital (Japan, 2004)
Director, Shinya Tsukamoto. Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Nami Tsukamoto, Kiki, Jun Kunimura, Ittoku Kishibe. After losing his memory due to a car accident, Hiroshi Takagi tries to pick his life back up and enrolls in medical school. There, his memory becomes jarred by a female cadaver; he begins to have visions of a life with this woman, and unlocks the dark memories of his forgotten past. 86 min.

 

Vom Reiche der sechs Punkte (Germany, 1927)
Directed by Hugo Rütters. Cast: Lotte Kleinschmidt, Robert Wirtz, Hubert Horbach, Josef Petri. This silent docudrama premiered in Düren, Germany on December 13, 1927. The story deals with a steel engineer who looses his sight and has to accept making a living as a blind man. The film features unique documentary footage of life and work within institutions for the blind in Cologne, Neuwied and Düren. 95 min.

 

Wait Until Dark (1967)
Director, Terence Young. Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Jack Weston, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. A photographer unwittingly smuggles a doll stuffed with heroin into New York City. His recently blinded wife, alone in their apartment, is first terrorized by hired crooks, and then by the psychopathic Roat, in search of the doll. 108 min.

 

The Waterdance (1991)
Directors, Neal Jimenez, Michael Steinberg. Cast: Eric Stoltz, Wesley Snipes, William Forsythe, Helen Hunt, Elizabeth Pena. Paralyzed in a 1984 accident, writer/director Neal Jimenez channeled his own experiences and emotions into this drama about a talented young writer who is permanently paralyzed in a hiking accident. He is placed in a paraplegic ward, peopled by patients of all races and emotional states. Together with his new-found friends, he rebels against the hospital system and his own debilitation. 106 min.