Hollywood Inclusion

“I have pain in every part of my body.”

Filmed over the course of seven years, Complicated is a documentary directed by Andrew Abrahams that follows several young people living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder that causes the body to produce faulty collagen. Karen, one of the film’s subjects, explains it this way:

“Say you have to build a sturdy Popsicle stick house. You’re better off using a hot glue gun than Elmer’s glue—because with Elmer’s glue, your Popsicle stick house will surely fall apart. Whereas with a hot glue gun, once it’s together, it stays together. I’m built with Elmer’s glue—not strong glue—that falls apart easily. So, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is when connective tissue is defective and so your whole body falls apart.”

Complicated is an unflinching window into what it means to navigate life with a complex chronic illness, not just for those diagnosed but for their families as well. The stories in the film are deeply interwoven—just as they were in real life. Many of the young people featured in Complicated connected with each other through the shared challenges of living with EDS. [continue reading…]

In 2020, filmmaker and disability advocate Juliet Romeo reached out to Slamdance Film Festival co-founder Peter Baxter, stressing the need for a program by and for disabled filmmakers. Conversations turned to action, and Slamdance Unstoppable was born. In 2021, Slamdance featured a showcase of disability-inclusive short films at its virtual festival, and by 2023, Slamdance Unstoppable had grown to include short and feature films, screening both in-person and virtually.

Uplifting and amplifying stories by disabled filmmakers is vital. Representation of disability in the entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera, continues to be disproportionately low. A recent USC Annenberg study revealed that only 2.2% of all speaking characters in the top 100 highest-grossing films of 2023 were portrayed as disabled— far below the 25% of the U.S. population that identifies as disabled. By showcasing a collection of disability-inclusive films and/or films created by disabled filmmakers, the Slamdance Film Festival is helping to change these statistics.

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Expertly crafted by a seasoned team of trailblazers comes Contours, a truly beautiful short film about two people feeling the weight of time lost and the invisible distance forming between them.

Viewers are welcomed into an art gallery where Spirit (Lauren Ridloff) and Van (John Autry II) are in their own emotional experiment to find each other, causing a spark and igniting passion. Their energy blends seamlessly with the thought-provoking images around them, taking them from a place of chance meetings and subtle smiles to the reality of life passing and devotion diminished, as if the meanings of the paintings somehow dripped off the canvas and played it out in front of them, harmonizing their vulnerabilities. The art that adorns the walls of the museum, combined with the artistry in the chemistry between the characters, creates an intimate narrative mix of sincerity and excitement, longing and meaning between two people and their purpose to one another. [continue reading…]

The short film Witness opens with a ringing phone, just as a wedding ceremony “nikah” is about to take place in a masjid. The groom, Saleem, gives a sheepish grin as the call goes to voicemail—his witness is unavailable. The imam, the bride, and the bride’s father exchange exasperated glances before Imam Mustafa steps away to find their second male witness.

In the kitchen, his daughter, Miral, and her friend, Shams, are preparing donation boxes. When Imam Mustafa asks Shams to step in as the second male witness, he hesitates. His reluctance is clear, but the imam brushes it off. Miral and Shams share a weighted glance before he follows the imam back to the ceremony. [continue reading…]

Polio. Iron lungs. These one-time commonalities from a bygone era play a central role in Director Andrew Reid’s short film, Iron Lung.

Set in New Mexico in 2002, and revolving around two sisters, Norma and Luisa Peña, the film opens on a shot of a darkened sky with heavy rain falling outside the window, flashes of lightning, cracks of thunder, and a radio announcing “record rainfall,” “flash flooding,” and recommendations to “shelter in place, and not attempt travel unless your life is in immediate danger.” [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Tadashi Nakamura.

“I think I’m taking it better than I thought I would”

“What did the neurologist say?”

“The, uh.. the neurologist, I think… is pretty sure I have Parkinson’s. I’m pretty sure I have Parkinson’s. I have so many of the symptoms.”

In Third Act, filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura depicts a poignant portrait of his father, Robert Nakamura. The film touches on many aspects of his father: his traumatizing past and long-concealed depression, kinship with art and community, work and legacy, familial relationships, and the present state of his life with Parkinson’s. While striving to create a film worthy of his father’s legacy, Tadashi is simultaneously working through his own feelings about the Parkinson’s diagnosis and the reality of his father’s looming mortality. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“I became an advocate without knowing it at first. I was thrust into it, but that was okay.”

Marlee Matlin found herself as an advocate and role model early on in her career within the entertainment industry.

When Matlin starred in “Children of a Lesser God” in 1986, many other deaf individuals were finally seeing themselves reflected on screen. For example, Lauren Ridloff’s parents brought her to see the film when she was just 8 years old. Shoshannah Stern called Matlin “the first person I saw myself in.”

At the same time, when Matlin was nominated for an Oscar for her role, news coverage repeatedly said she would never have a starring role again because she is deaf. As a result, Matlin felt she had to prove that she belongs in Hollywood and was not just a sympathy vote. Even years later, when CODA was being made, there was a belief that Matlin is the only deaf actor out there. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Los Angeles Times.

At face value, “Life After” starts with a story about Elizabeth Bouvia, a disabled woman from California who sought the right to die in 1983. However, Bouvia’s impact – and “Life After” as a result – is about so much more, including: the lack of accessible, affordable, quality healthcare; ableist views portraying disabled people in society as having less value than nondisabled peers; the lack of employment opportunities; and the feeling of isolation that many disabled people face.

After years of courtroom trials as Bouvia fought for the right to die in the 1980’s, she disappeared from public view. In “Life After,” disabled director Reid Davenport sought to determine what happened to Bouvia. Four decades after her trial, he wanted to know what today’s society thinks about giving disabled people access to assisted suicide. Lending his voice in the beginning of the film, Davenport shares, “I see myself in how Elizabeth moved through the world.” During this narration, the camera view is what Davenport sees from a seated position as he navigates the world while utilizing a wheelchair. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jeff Beatty.

While the new documentary film “Deaf President Now!” covers an important event from disability rights history, its recent premiere highlights that Deaf and other disabled individuals are continuing to fight to not be treated as “less than.”

“Deaf President Now!” tells the story of the 1988 eight-day protest against a 124-year-old history of only hiring hearing presidents of Gallaudet, the world’s only Deaf university. However, it is truly a universal story about people refusing to be invisible.

“Deaf people were second class citizens,” Co-Director Nyle DiMarco, who also is a Gallaudet alumnus, model, actor, and Deaf activist, says in a meet the artist video with Sundance. “But the students were fed up. They were angry after centuries of oppression and discrimination.” [continue reading…]