Good things are happening in the film world. Despite 2015 producing a weak crop of mainstream films, the niche market is showing signs of growth. ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival received more submissions than ever, and the quality of the films submitted was our highest to date. The largest minority group in America is stepping into the spotlight with a record number of films made by or about people with disabilities. More films are also including actors with disabilities and new accessible digital technology is allowing more filmmakers than ever to make high-quality films on diverse topics. But this growth is not only about quantity.
The ReelAbilities film selection committee was overwhelmed not only by the number of films submitted, but also by the quality of films. The diverse selection committee, comprised of professionals from the film world as well as people who relate to a wide variety of disabilities, spent the last few months consumed with viewing hundreds of films from around the world on many different topics and cutting the overwhelming list down to a few dozen top selections for the shortlist. Many good films could not make the cut.
The festival has a unique selection process and presents the shortlist to the over 35 venue partners in the New York area, who help select the final list of films. Many more wonderful films do not make the final list of selections which be announced in mid-January; there is simply not enough room for all of them. Sadly, many of these wonderful films do not get shown at other festivals either, as many festivals do not yet know how to approach the topic of disabilities and are afraid to include, keeping the disability community further underrepresented.
But what struck me most about the films submitting to ReelAbilities this year was not the number of films, or the quality, but rather the edginess of topics and the forthrightness of their presentation. Many of the films broke ground in their choices of subject matter and showed things that you would never see in mainstream films.
These films not only approach disability in a fresh manner, they often go beyond the disability and approach day-to-day topics in ways that I've never seen on film. Some films that were submitted deal with disability and sexuality (always a hot topic) and approach sex with a level of honesty that is not seen in Hollywood. Similarly, films were submitted dealing with the position of caretakers, showing a side of disabilities that very much relates to mainstream viewers, for, if one cannot relate to the person with the disability, one should be able to relate to the position of the caregiver. In a few instances, we saw narratives and documentaries focusing on people with physical disabilities relying on their aids for assistive sex. Hollywood often approaches sexuality in a restrained manner. In films from the disability community, the boundaries are removed and the honesty is refreshing.
This new crop of films is changing the way that people with disabilities are depicted in movies. They present real stories of real imperfect people, touching on universal human emotions regardless of shape, size, color or ability. Even the films about family, love or dating give a more realistic perspective of the imperfections of love as opposed to the illusion of love that most cinema presents.
There is also a lot of technical creativity coming from this niche and filmmakers are using groundbreaking technology to tell stories in ways that cinema has yet to define. From virtual reality to innovative sound design made specifically for the deaf community, or using technology to actually direct films from a bed or wheelchair, people with disabilities are finding more creative ways to bring their stories to the public.
It is not surprising to see this progress coming out of the disability community. As often being so overlooked, this community works harder to tell their stories and to have their voices heard. People with disabilities are breaking down the barriers of our society and are forced to think outside the box. This community is faced daily with obstacles and stumbling blocks, forcing individuals to be crafty, fearless and resilient - the perfect ingredients for good filmmaking.
Talented people from this community are sick of being ignored by Hollywood and have now risen up with new digital platforms for filmmaking, self-producing their own films. With ReelAbilities, these films will be shown in a growing number of cities as the festival expands across the country. But we are not there yet. Tweny-five years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we still have a long way to go to reach appropriate inclusion.
Seeing these films gives me hope for the film world in general. With traditional movie viewing patterns at a crossroads, it is films like the ones I see for ReelAbilities that remind me that there are still truly innovative spirits out there raising their voices for the right reasons and in the right ways. The question now is, is the audience ready to open their minds and see these films?