Ideas needed for inclusive film screening!

matthewjhomer

Hi there,
My name is Matt Homer and I'm involved in setting up film events which show positive representations of disability.

For our last event in March in Brighton, we screened the documentary Heavy Load and even got the director and some of the film's stars to attend. It was such a great night!

We're now looking at our next event and wondered if anyone had any suggestions for feature films which they would to see shown?

Best wishes,

Matt.

Pippa_Alumni

Hi @matthewjhomer, welcome to the community!

The film events sound great, lets see if anybody has any suggestions for you!

AlexW_Scope

Hi @matthewjhomer

You might get some inspiration from our Pinterest board, Disability in films and on TV

Happy screenings!

matthewjhomer

Thanks Pippa! Hopefully we can get some brilliant suggestions! Heavy Load is such a hard act to follow. We're looking for some films with a similar feel good factor.

matthewjhomer

Awesome, thank you too Alex. I'll have a look through these. What a fantastic resource. Hopefully we can find some films which also feature disabled actors in the productions

Agilitynutter

Hi, Matt you should have a look at IMCA and PAWC 2018 on the internet. August 24th this year is the the World Para Agility World Cup in the UK for the first time.
It is phenominal, people with every type of mobility and learning difficulties competing with their dogs. We have a big problem as we need to provide a special floor costing £15.000 which could afterwards be set up in an agility centre for training wheelchair users and people who need an undisturbed surface to train on. We need lots of publicity, (It is held in conjunction with the International Mixed Breed World championship - the best handlers from all over the world) Fabulous to watch and great fun to do.(The most moving thing is the young people who cannot even manage their wheel chairs and speak, who have to be carried round and still manage to communicate with their dogs by moving an arm, their smiles after their rounds are magic!)

Sam_Alumni

This sounds great! Let us know about your next event and we could share it on the community

Graham_Scope

@matthewjhomer there are two I really like at the moment, both narrative documentaries.
One is Notes on Blindness  http://www.notesonblindness.co.uk/ , the other is The Possibilities Are Endless. http://www.thepossibilities.co.uk/about.html Both are powerful, moving and occasionally funny films about acquiring an impairment and becoming a disabled person.  

Agilitynutter

The competition in the past has not filmed but it will be  live streamed at the UK event. Some one should make documentary! There are several short videos on tube.

matthewjhomer

Hey everyone,
So sorry for the delay with my replies. Its proven to be a hectic few weeks at this end.
The World Para Agility World Cup sounds really interesting and, given that our last event focused on music, it would be brilliant to do something around sport!

matthewjhomer

Thank you too Sam!
I've sadly had to put our next screening on hold, as it has been very full-on with my full-time job at the University. Hopefully I can come back to it soon.
In the meantime, an artist friend of mine is running her own screening and I have been supporting this with advice and sign-posting her to good contacts in the area. I would like to post a new thread about this as, while our events share many similiarities, they are both unique in their own way.

matthewjhomer

Thanks Graham. I have had the pleasure of seeing Notes on Blindness. It has totally changed my opinion on what I thought was the role of cinema. I now realise that, being cinematic, doesn't necessarily mean visual. The audio in the screening that I saw was amazing and I could have enjoyed this without the images.
I haven't yet seen the Possibilities are Endless, but I have heard very good things about it. I have had to postpone the screening which I had been planning for next month, but I hope that I can reschedule it soon

Graham_Scope

@matthewjhomer Interestingly, the audio and music score on Possibilities is equally dominant and integral to the film. Good luck with your project.

matthewjhomer

Thanks Graham! I'm really keen to see it now. I did see an interview with the director from the Reel Abilities festival in New York. That would be a great film to show at our next event
Very best wishes,
M@