A place for all abilities | Geoff Hanson Aspen Daily News
October 7, 2024
At the recent 45th annual Aspen FilmFest, the movie “Unstoppable” won the festival’s Audience Award. The film is based on the inspirational, real-life story of wrestler Anthony Robles who won an NCAA wrestling championship despite being born with only one leg.
This weekend, Aspen audiences will be treated to nine more films that center around the lives of people living with disabilities when the fifth annual Disability Film Festival takes place at the Isis Theatre on Sunday at 2 p.m. On the festival poster, “Dis” is crossed out, and “ability” is capitalized. The event is free to the public.
The festival is produced by Western Colorado University where the slate of films will also be screened Friday evening.
“Our mission is to explore innovative strategies that promote inclusivity in classrooms, communities, workplaces, and other settings and to lift up human-centered stories of inclusivity through juried programming of top-tier films from around the world,” said Tara Mason, a cofounder of the festival. “We aim to increase awareness about the human-centered successes achieved when creating inclusive environments in education, communities, and workplaces.”
The Arc of the Central Mountains is a local nonprofit affiliated with the national organization The Arc, which promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in their community throughout their lifetimes.
In 2021, the Arc of the Central Mountains, Cook Inclusive, and Glenwood Parks and Recreation brought the Disability Film Festival to Glenwood Springs, where it occurred for two years before the decision was made to bring the festival to Aspen for this year.
“U.S. Film Festival events have always been an important way to educate through community outreach,” said Jill Pidcock, executive director of Arc of the Central Mountains. “We find that an authentic storytelling opportunity is always the best way to share our mission of protecting the rights of people living with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to have a fully inclusive life in their communities.”
She added that the community benefits “from becoming champions of this inclusion.”
The films at this year’s festival include the film CHICKEN, directed by Lucy McNulty and Emma Pollard. When Sam splits up with her partner, she is forced to move back into her childhood home with her mother and neurodivergent brother. When depression sinks in, her brother Emmett gets in her face trying to cheer her up and in doing so makes everything worse. But when Emmett is confronted with a situation at a baseball game where he is called a chicken, Sam rises to the challenge to come to his aid and is reminded of what is truly important.
TURN UP THE BASS was directed by Ted Evans and tells the remarkable and little-known story of Troi Lee, aka DJ Chinaman, the unstoppable force behind the UK’s deaf music and rave scene.
DIAGNONSENSE is a drama that is set in 1996 at a psychiatric hospital where deaf social worker Louise meets Patrick, a deaf patient who has been kept there for 36 years and wrongly diagnosed as schizophrenic.
Louise has to fight discriminatory attitudes to get an institutionalized Patrick to appeal against his diagnosis to get him released, but he has to recall his painful memories of the events that led to his incarceration.
THE HIP HOPS is directed by Sandra Vivas. It is the story of disability and inclusion from the point of view of a child, based on the filmmaker’s own life.
THESE ARE THE SOUNDS I MAKE was directed by Andy Bambach and Suzanne Whiteman and centers around Simi, a young woman with disabilities who communicates in many different ways, from making sounds and gestures to using conversation cards and other new technologies. She enjoys getting out into nature, dancing, creating art, connecting with friends, and being involved in decisions that affect her.
I LOVED TO SEE YOU was helmed by Ricardo Garcia and is the story of a deaf boy who falls in love with a blind girl and centers on his quest to communicate with her as he discovers the world that surrounds her.
The film HOW DO YOU SEE ME? was directed by Todd Robertson and looks at the question of why people with intellectual disabilities live 13 to 20 years less than others. Through the eyes of a young woman who sees her disability as a distinct advantage, this film explores the profound effects of societal views on people with disabilities and the impact of those perceptions while exploring paths toward a more equitable future.
BREAKING NORMAL was made for the 2024 Disability Film Challenge. The film stars two neurodivergent actors — autistic actress Tal Anderson as Kitty and comedian Anthony Purnell, who lives with ADHD, as Mask. The film was directed by Jessica Cabot.
AFTER HEATHER, directed by Clint Butler, centers around the life journey of a Canadian dancer before and after suffering a severe traumatic brain injury. It is based on the book, “Little Feet: The Story of Heather Williams.”
“It is my hope that when people attend and watch the films, that they will feel a sense of same-ness and inclusivity; that we are much more alike than different,” Pidcock said. “ As people leave the film festival, I hope there is a moment of humbleness and awareness for all people. These films will teach us that all abilities have a place in our communities.”
Free childcare is available for parents of children with disabilities at the Chabad Jewish Community Center. Email stephanie@fcaspen.com.