Film fest focuses on people with disabilities
A mélange of films captures the life and challenges of those with disabilities in the ReelAbilities Film Festival.
In its fifth year, the film festival has moved to a new venue at SouthSide Works Cinema and will run Wednesday through Sept. 13.
The itinerary includes four international feature-length films, five short films running a total of 79 minutes, six post-film special events and a pop-up art exhibition.
The latter will feature printmaking works by artists-in-residence at Creative Citizen Studios, a local organization that builds bridges between the arts and disabilities communities.
“We anticipate this year to be our biggest one yet,” said Kathryn Spitz Cohan, executive director of Film Pittsburgh, which along with the FISA Foundation supports ReelAbilities. “We have always collaborated with a lot of organizations in the region, but our number of community partners this year seems to have grown.”
The festival premieres with Len Collin’s “Sanctuary,” a movie that follows the life of two young people with intellectual disabilities who strive to get one night alone.
Another movie, “Nise: The Heart of Madness,” chronicles the true story of a psychiatrist who struggles to introduce humane forms of therapy through art to improve mental health.
The film “Woody’s Order” features Broadway actress and Pittsburgh native Ann Talman and her life with her brother, who has cerebral palsy.
FISA Foundation Executive Director Kristy Trautmann said the festival will celebrate the many contributions of people with
disabilities in our society.
“My Feral Heart” explores the independence of a young man, Luke (Steven Brandon), with Down syndrome, and the love and friendships he develops after he moves into a home for people with special needs.
Speaking about how the movie came to be and the challenges in making it, director Jane Gull said she did not encounter any prejudice against those with disabilities during the making of the movie.
“Initially, I had some people who were concerned about whether or not we would find an actor who could carry the film,” Ms. Gull said. “Steven had never been in a film before and had limited acting experience that was more of a concern than the fact that he had Down syndrome.”
Ms. Gull said she is fortunate to have worked over the years with many people with various abilities.
“I like to focus on the individual strengths and their abilities,” she said. “When I first met Steven, I knew instinctively that he would be right for the part of Luke. The movie reconfirmed to me that we need more roles in movies for actors with disabilities.”
She shot the film in the town where she grew up and many of the cast members are people she already knew.
The festival venue is SouthSide Works Cinema, 425 Cinema Drive, South Side. For tickets — $12 general admission and $8 for students — visit Pittsburgh.ReelAbilities.org or purchase them at the door. Discounts and group tickets also are available. For more information, 412-426-3456.