Hollywood Inclusion

Salt Lake City, UT, April 20 – A new report by Luminate found that disability representation on screen was by far and away the lowest of any minority group they analyzed. In 2021, there were only five main title cast roles in film for people who identified as disabled. The following year, there were just three roles, which means only half a percent of films over the last two years had a main cast member with a disability. These numbers improve only very slightly in series television; there were nine series regulars who identified as disabled in both 2021 and 2022. With Americans continuing to consume roughly five hours of media a day on streaming services and traditional television, representation, or in this case, lack of representation impacts how society views people with disabilities.

“At their best, films and TV series can help remove current stigmas that exist for people with disabilities,” said RespectAbility’s Senior Vice President Lauren Appelbaum. “These stories can shift assumptions and bring attention to larger systemic issues. However, inclusion of disabled people must be an intentional effort on the part of studios and content creators. Disabled talent exists and need to be given the platform to create.”

The problem is not just in front of the screen. There were zero film directors with disabilities over the last two years and just one series creator who identified as disabled: Ryan O’Connell. O’Connell created and starred in the Netflix show Special based on his life as a gay man with cerebral palsy. Along with his role in Peacock’s Queer as Folk, O’Connell’s on-screen work accounts for more than 10 percent of series regular roles for actors with disabilities.

While Hollywood still struggles to hire disabled talent, it continues to make movies that center disabled narratives. Fifteen films were released over the last two years that centered disabled stories and yet the industry clearly did not rely on the community whose stories they were using to make money. This needs to change. Authentic casting and representation behind the camera help to ensure better representation. It is time for Hollywood to hear what disability activists have been shouting for decades: “nothing about us, without us.” [continue reading…]

Juliet Romeo’s short film, “Uncomplicated”, shows the complexities of dating and relationships while living with a chronic illness, specifically sickle cell disease, a condition rarely portrayed in media.

Clare is begrudgingly getting ready to go on a date with Paul set up by the app, Uncomplicated. Her sister says, “Just try to have a little bit of fun tonight. What’s the worst that can happen?”

During the date, Clare struggles to hide her sickle cell anemia, running to the bathroom to turn on her oxygen concentrator hidden in her purse when her watch alarms her that her oxygen is too low.  Paul assumes she is not enjoying the date, but Clare starts to say, “it’s complicated”, when Paul states, “Please don’t say complicated: it’s the one thing the app promised this wouldn’t be.” [continue reading…]

The 2023 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge short film “Free As the Wind” is a beautifully crafted and heartwarming love story that showcases simplicity and creativity at its best. The film was created as part of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, where filmmakers have just five days to write and produce a short film of three-to-five minutes duration, promoting disability inclusion based on the year’s announced genre.

2022 RespectAbility Lab Alumna Erika Ellis (Producer) partnered with writer and director Joshua Lang to bring this touching story to life. Lang’s personal touch as a disabled veteran and the real-life romance of his grandparents are reflected in the story’s narrative, making it even more meaningful.

The film follows the love story of a Women Airforce Service Pilot and a mechanic who travel the world together. Ellis and Lang effectively capture the essence of the story by using vibrant backdrops and black silhouetted characters, creating a visually stunning film. The video wall technique seamlessly transports the audience to different parts of the world, enhancing the storytelling. [continue reading…]

“Pure Magic” is a short film written by, produced by, and starring RespectAbility Lab alumnus John Lawson. The short was created for this year’s Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, in which filmmakers have five days to write and produce a three to five minute short based on a centralizing theme. This year’s focus was romance, and “Pure Magic” certainly delivered on this theme.

The short film opens with Lawson and his character’s wife walking in a park. Lawson yells at a child, “careful Taylor!” His wife says, “oh, that’s not our Taylor, sweetheart.” The subsequent conversation establishes that Lawson has Alzheimer’s. We later see a street magician performing a card trick to a skeptical patron, who says “there’s no magic.” When she picks a card, rather than finding the card, another man starts to play piano. Lawson’s character hears the music and starts to sing a song about his relationship with his wife. The song’s lyrics include the lines “memories fade but feelings remain. You’ve always been there through joy and through pain.” [continue reading…]

Rachel Handler (she/her), a 2020 RespectAbility Entertainment Lab Alumna, wrote, starred, and produced “Unlucky in Love” for this year’s Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. During the film Challenge, filmmakers have five days to write and produce a three to five minute short based on a centralizing theme. This year’s focus was romance. Rachel Handler’s “Unlucky in Love” is a prime example of the nuance and humor that can come out of this genre.

Rachel Handler went to the Westminster Choir College for musical theatre, and two years after she graduated, she became an amputee. At her first audition back, “the director said, ‘you have a beautiful voice, but…it’s a dance callback” and laughed her out of the room. After that Handler stopped doing musical theater and started working in film and television. However, when she heard that this year’s theme was romance, she decided to go back to her roots, saying “I knew I wanted to pull off a musical! To me, love is musical!”

This short follows flash mob planner Lisa Edmonds (Rachel Handler) as she meets and falls in love with Wendy Lindell (Lachi) over the course of three years with its ups and downs before they get engaged at a flash mob. Yes, all of this happens in and out of song and in five minutes. [continue reading…]

For this year’s Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, Cory Reeder (he/him) wrote and directed a short on the trials and tribulations of being a female wheelchair user on the dating apps. The Disability Challenge gives participants five days to write, shoot, edit and submit a film around one common theme. This year’s genre was romance, allowing for stories around strong disabled romantic leads, which so far have been lacking from the RomCom space. As with many of this year’s entries, Reeder’s story is both funny and poignant.

The short begins with Ariel, a wheelchair user, played excellently by Joci Scott, swiping through the dating app “Smash or Pass.” The app is showing stereotypical dating app men from “Mr. Bassman” to Prince Charming; even Reeder makes a quick cameo on the app. Then, we watch Ariel go on a series of bad first dates. All of these men at some point say something different but still problematic about her disability. Many of these comments fall into classic disability tropes we see in the media, such as being seen as inspirational or the assumption that people with disabilities want to be cured. However, in this case, these tropes are being used to create comedy and show how ridiculous these assumptions are when said out loud.

Reeder was inspired to make this short film because in the last year, he himself started to use dating apps and said he would ask women about their experiences and “literally, every woman I met had a horror story to tell.” Reeder thought that there must be some shocking online dating stories for women with disabilities. While Reeder focused on specifics in this short, he ended up with some rather common realities around dating for women with disabilities. [continue reading…]

If you’re looking for a breather in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, go watch “Dinner for Six.” Directed, written, produced, and edited by Emily Kranking, the spunky comedy tells the story of an overprotective family spying on their disabled daughter Zoey’s (Emily Kranking) first date with Chris (Richie Dobson).

Founded by Nic Novicki, the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is an annual five-day competition in which filmmakers must create original three-to-five minute films. This year’s theme is romance, which delighted Kranking. She’s intended to create a film based on her first date experience, and this challenge gave her the extra push needed to bring the story to reality.

“The film had to be a lot shorter than I dreamt of,” Kranking says. “The original cut was actually a minute longer and some of my favorite jokes are in it, but I’m so happy that I pretty much got to say all I wanted to say.” [continue reading…]

Nader Bahu is a self-taught filmmaker who has produced 19 short films, four of which were created for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. His latest entry is “Unexpected Date,” a romantic comedy he wrote and directed.

Founded by Nic Novicki, the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is an annual five-day competition in which filmmakers must create original three-to-five minute films based on a different theme each year. This year’s theme was romance. Bahu participates in the Challenge each year to motivate himself to create more short films and to push himself to think of new story ideas.

In the film, Bahu plays the role of Elijah, a young man with a disability who is nervous about a blind date. The film also addresses the topic of individuals who need assistive translators. Sometimes needing someone else to speak for them can lead to a lack of personal connection. Bahu tackles this topic in a playful manner. The main character asserts his independence and goes old school by using handwritten notes to communicate with his date. Things work out well when Elijah’s date suggests a movie date for just the two of them. [continue reading…]

The 2023 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Entry Rick’s Cafe follows a third date at a cafe that gets really intense. 

Founded by Nic Novicki, the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is an annual five-day competition in which filmmakers must create original three-to-five minute films based on a different theme each year. This year’s theme was romance. 

RespectAbility Entertainment Lab Alumni Diana Elizabeth Jordan has been part of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge for several years. She met Rick’s Cafe‘s director Danny Gomez and executive producer Carl Hansen through the Challenges she’s done with them in the past.

Rick’s Cafe opens with stylish and cinematic neon lights depicting many unconscious bodies littered throughout a retro looking cafe. The hostess Tequila Sunrise maniacally says “Welcome to Rick’s Cafe!” [continue reading…]