A still from Deafinition
Friday, February 18, 2022

Full Lineup of 16 ReelFilms Available for Viewing- Don't Miss Them!

A still from Deafinition
Friday, February 18, 2022
2/16 - 2/24
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Event Overview

Enjoy free access to 16 award-winning, thought-provoking films at your convenience starting at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, February 16. All films are audio-described and captioned; all films are available free of charge.

The ReelAbilities Houston audience to enjoy the following films:

Brain DamaJ'D... Take II

Disabilities Represented: Traumatic brain injury

Director: Paul Nadler

50 min - Documentary – English - Canada

Description: Ten years ago, Paul Nadler was a creative maverick: an extreme sportsman, award-winning TV director, and a veritable Casanova to boot. When a car accident leaves him with a traumatic brain injury he sets out to reaffirm he is still is all of these things.

The film will also feature a film review by Dr. Cindy Ivanhoe, Director, Spasticity And Associated Syndromes Of Movement (SPASM) at TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Daddy’s Girl (Kōtiro)

Disabilities Represented: Alzheimer’s

Director: Cian Elyse White

12 min - Narrative – Maori – New Zealand  

Description: Te Puhi prepares for the toughest day of her life—she must come to terms with her father’s dementia. But first, the two share a traditional meal.

A still from the short film Daddy's Girl.

Deafinition

Disabilities Represented: Deafness and hearing loss

Director: Nicole Miller

14 min - Documentary – English - Australia

Description: A personal look into the inner world of Peter, a Deaf man, and his experiences in his day-to-day social interactions. With comedy and creativity, we learn about Paul’s reality and perspective.

 

Enter the Faun

Disabilities Represented: Cerebral palsy

Director: Tamar Rogoff & Daisy Wright

67 min - Documentary – English - United States

Description: 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. As Tamar Rogoff trains Gregg Mozgala to dance in her performance, they discover that her lack of formal medical training and his fears and physical limitations are the impetus for her choreography and their unprecedented discoveries. Enter The Faun is the story of a joyous, obsessed journey toward opening night. It challenges the boundaries of medicine and art, as well as the limitations associated with disability.

The film will also feature a film review by Dr. Cindy Ivanhoe, Director, Spasticity And Associated Syndromes Of Movement (SPASM) at TIRR Memorial Hermann.

The Feeling Through Experience: Narrative + Documentary Film

Disabilities Represented: Deafblindness  

Director:   Doug Roland

18 min narrative + 24 min documentary – Narrative + Documentary  – English – United States   

Description: While wandering around New York, 18 year-old Tereek encounters Artie, a DeafBlind man trying to get home. It is the first film ever to feature a DeafBlind actor in a lead role.

Register to attend the ReelFilms Conversations & Discussions: Opening Film Night on Thursday, February 24

Hal and Minter

Disability Represented: Parkinson’s Disease

Director: Ram Devineni

24 mins - Documentary– English – United States

Description: Hal Sirowitz has Parkinson’s disease. At one time one of the most popular poets in the United States, he was a regular on MTV and one of the original performers at the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe. Hal and his partner, the writer Minter Krotzer, have become advocates for people with Parkinson’s disease and their families. A funny and uplifting story about being a creative couple and finding your voice.

Keeping the Chaos Together

Disabilities Represented: Mental health 

Director: 

37 min - Narrative – English – United States  

Description: Living with mental illness is more common than you think. In America, one in five adults experience mental illness in a given year. Keeping The Chaos Together is a documentary that takes an intimate look into the lives of those who live with a mental health struggle, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder. These inspirational and emotional stories as well as interviews with psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals provide a deeper understanding about mental illness and show that with the proper care, treatment and resources, one can live a happy and successful life. The more mental health is talked about in an open and honest way, the closer we will become to putting an end to the stigma. 

Where there is hope, there is recovery. 

Register to attend the ReelFilms Conversations & Discussions: Opening Film Night on Sunday, February 20

Maricarmen

Disabilities Represented: Blindness

Director: Sergio Morkin

80 min - Documentary - Spanish - Mexico

Description: Maricarmen Graue is a cello player, music teacher, writer, and marathon runner. Blind and living alone, she subverts any expectations of helplessness with a biting sense of humor and a fierce attitude. Swaying between laughter and a bare-boned meditation on the act of living, Maricarmen navigates the trials and triumphs of a strong, perseverant woman.

Not Going Quietly

Disabilities Represented: ALS

Director: Nicholas Bruckman  

93 min - Documentary – English – United States

Description: When activist and new father Ady Barkan is diagnosed with ALS and given four years to live, he finds himself directly impacted by a new legislation proposal jeopardizing essential healthcare programs critical to Ady’s and others’ survival. After a chance confrontation with Senator Jeff Flake goes viral, Ady embarks on a cross-country tour, using his final breaths to fight for healthcare justice to try and create a better world for his newborn son to inherit.

Register to attend the ReelFilms Conversations & Discussions on Tuesday, February 21

A still from the short film Single.

Single

Disabilities Represented: Amniotic Band Syndrome

Director: Ashley Eakin

14 min - Narrative – English – United States

Description: Kim, who was born with one arm, gets set up on a blind date. When she finally meets Jake, she quickly realizes he also has a physical disability, and she is pissed. An unapologetic perspective on the complexities of being disabled and dating.

The Special

Disabilities Represented: Down Syndrome

Director: Ignacio Márquez

91 min - Narrative – Spanish – Venezuela

Description: Chuo, a charming young man with Down syndrome, must navigate the challenges of early adulthood as he seeks to build a life of independence from his troubled father. Long separated by an ocean of silence and shame, will the two men be able to build a common future?

 

Strange

Disabilities Represented: Autism

Director: Cameron Carr

2 min - Documentary – English – United Kingdom  

Description: An animated glimpse into the life of an autistic author exploring friendship, trials, and the use of unique coping strategies.

 

Telos

Disabilities Represented: Chronic illness (autoimmune arthritis) 

Director: Natalie LaValley  

15 min - Narrative – English – United States   

Description: When a chronic illness disqualifies Danika from space flight, she finds a new path. 

Register to attend the ReelFilms Conversations & Discussions: Opening Film Night Sunday, February 20

Verisimilitude

Disabilities Represented: Wheelchair user

Director: David Proud

12 min - Narrative – English – United Kingdom

Description: An unemployed disabled actress is frustrated that all the disabled acting roles go to able-bodied actors. She gets a job as an advisor to a spoilt up-and-coming British film star, advising him on how to be disabled for his latest role, which might just win him a BAFTA.

We Hear You

Disabilities Represented: Hearing loss 

Director: Carolina Cordero  

45 min - Documentary – English, Spanish– United States 

Description: We Hear You is a groundbreaking one-hour documentary about hearing loss, the invisible disability that impacts 430 million people worldwide. By shining a light on the hearing loss experience, it strives to build awareness, community and a more inclusive world for all.  Hearing loss is not always accurately represented in mainstream media. Of the 48 million Americans who have trouble hearing, less than 5% use sign language as their primary form of communication. Yet sign language is the lived experience that is most often portrayed on the large and small screen. Until now. 

 Executive produced by three women with hearing loss, the documentary was conceived, filmed and directed across two continents, all during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Register to attend the ReelFilms Conversations & Discussions on Monday, February 21

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A still from Deafinition
Don't forget to register!
All ReelFilms will become available to watch at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, February 16.
A still from Deafinition