“(Disabled characters) are usually pigeonholed in movies,” said Lisa Brownknight, executive director of Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled (LADD), which organizes the festival. “Someone with hook hands will be evil, or someone with Down syndrome will be an angelic character. The characters here are more robust, and the narrative may or may not be focused on their disabilities.”
The idea for a film festival about, for and sometimes by disabled people originated with JCC (Jewish Community Center) Manhattan in 2007.
“When the JCC met (that year), they discovered they had these films with disabled people that didn’t fit in with the festival they were putting on,” Brownknight said. “So they had all these compelling stories that didn’t have a platform.”
Cincinnati was the first of several U.S. cities to duplicate the festival, which is partly why the festival headquarters was moved to Cincinnati in 2014.
“Besides being the first to take it outside of New York, we developed a replicable model for other cities,” Brownknight said. “Our model of funding and execution is such that other cities can use it and find success.”
Brownknight said the festival program varies from year to year. This year’s festival offers far more documentaries than features, ranging from short to full-length. For special consideration, she singled out “Sanctuary,” about a man with Down Syndrome and a woman with epilepsy falling in love in a dystopian future where unsanctioned relations between disabled people are outlawed, “Tin Soldiers,” about Paralympic athletes from adult to age 3, and “Spring Break Zombie Massacre,” where two half-brothers with Down syndrome must prevent Satan and his zombie army from ruining spring break.
“(‘Spring Break”) is our first foray into that genre,” Brownknight said with a little laugh. “The brothers were featured on ‘Conan’ (Conan O’Brien’s TV talk show). The movie’s getting a cult following.”
Brownknight said attendance has been growing “exponentially” year by year.
“We had 1,900 in 2013, and now we have 10,000,” she said. “In 2015, we had 17 films. This year, we have 38.”
The festival program also includes special events such as an interfaith breakfast, a premiere luncheon featuring RJ Mitte (Flynn from “Breaking Bad”), a veteran’s reception and veteran’s brunch to go with the festival films, “Recovering,” and “Stray Dog,” a Cocktails and Zombies event, featuring Drew Lachey of the pop group 98 Degrees, Jamie Brewer from TV’s “American Horror Story” and other celebrities, and numerous acting and filmmaking-related workshops.
"I would recommend going to the website and clicking on the calendar view," Brownknight said. "Pick a couple of films to go to and then you come around, just see what else is going on. Tickets are very affordable and all the workshops are free."
Contact this contributing writer at aaronepple@gmail.com.
How to go
What: The Cincinnati ReelAbilities Film Festival
Where: Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Cincinnati
When: March 9-12
Cost: $11 (individual films), $100-$1,600 (festival passes)
More info: www.cincy.reelabilities.org
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