Hollywood Inclusion

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…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Joe Garber.

“Inspiration porn” is a striking phrase to begin a short film, and it sets a bold tone for “View From the Floor.” Narrator and filmmaker Mindie Lind describes it as “this idea that our main characterization as people with disabilities is that we are inspirational to others.” Alongside co-director Megan Griffiths, Lind offers us a glimpse into the complex world of exploitation within the entertainment industry.

Introduced to fame from a young age, Lind relates stories about how, as a performer born without legs, even minor feats like joining the marching band invited news cameras and microphones. When she was in high school, this built up to an invitation to appear on the Maury Povich show. Before Maury was synonymous with paternity tests and family drama, he would bring in young people to display their talents and talk about how they overcame hardship in their lives. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Kevin Xian Ming Yu.

In the short film “Unholy,” writer/director Daisy Friedman artfully showcases Noa, a young adult with short bowel syndrome who uses a feeding tube while not being able to eat any solid food, as an individual who can manage the physical aspects of her disability but is confronting how her disability affects other areas of her life, including how she interacts with her family and observes an important religious holiday.

The first time I watched “Unholy,” I did so while in bed dealing with a flare-up of my own chronic health condition. Propped up by pillows, I watched this film that spoke so clearly to me, and I cried from recognizing myself in Noa. I recognized her frustration to explain what a chronic health condition does to a person, even if they could appear “normal” to the passerby. I saw myself as Noa struggled to fully participate in a meaningful Jewish activity with her family. And I saw myself as she struggled to be honest with her dad as he, with all good intentions, said it wouldn’t last forever, and with her grandmother as she pushed her to sip more soup, even when she knew her body was telling her no. Where I truly saw myself in Noa was as she struggled to be honest with herself, confronting her fears that if she cannot partake in the same traditions her family has done for generations, where does that leave her. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Joe Hunting

The aptly titled documentary short film “The Reality of Hope” highlights the incredible reach of human kindness, community, and possibility.

The film, primarily filmed inside virtual reality, opens by welcoming us to Furality, a virtual world and haven for like-minded people created by virtual reality creator and music composer, Hiyu, who was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 28. Hiyu guides viewers through the colorful and meticulous world he has created, introducing several members of the virtual community that have connected with Hiyu as they express their joy at the freedom Hiyu’s VR world gives them to explore and connect with their community from all over the planet in a virtual world all their own. [continue reading…]

Content Warning: Discussions of suicide/suicidal ideation

Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“Good luck selling your house once there’s been a suicide in it!”

Just barely 3 minutes in, and viewers are slapped with this line when protagonist Jo bitterly shouts it at her (now ex-) boyfriend as she storms out of a cafe while patrons and waitstaff look on, aghast.

Joanna Leeds’ BULLDOZER premiered this year as part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Episodic Pilot Showcase. The pilot, which Leeds created, wrote, and stars in, follows Jo as she struggles her way through a breakup, her confounding health, and the medical system. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Gavin Velasquez Murray.

On the surface, writer/director Chelsea Christer’s short film “Out for Delivery” adds a comedic, yet realistic, lens to what it means for someone to choose to die with dignity. As viewers delve deeper, however, Christer’s film showcases the importance of having human connections in a world where it is so easy to be isolated.

In “Out for Delivery,” terminally ill Joanna (Deanna Rooney) chooses to pursue end-of-life options through the Death with Dignity Act, which is a law that allows terminally ill people to request and receive medication to end their lives on their own time. This law is intended to give people with terminal illnesses more control over their end-of-life care.

While there is a fear that this Act may cause disabled people to be pressured to end their lives prematurely, “Out for Delivery” aims to show that for people like Joanna, the Death with Dignity Act may enable her to take control of her life. [continue reading…]

Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Daeil Kim.

Writer/Director Joanna Fernandez’s short film “The Things We Keep” examines the impact of Alzheimer’s and OCD through the genre of horror, allowing viewers to learn how both Alzheimer’s and OCD affect not only the individual, but their family members as well. Fernandez creates a powerful narrative while using both horror and magical realism as a lens to showcase an allegorical tale of caregiving and intergenerational trauma between a mother and daughter.

In “The Things We Keep,” Kate (Rebecca Holopter) returns home to take care of her estranged mother (Jenny O’Hara), a lifetime hoarder. Hoarding is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder that is categorized by severe emotional attachment to inanimate objects. As hoarders accumulate more items, they often become more isolated from family and friends. Furthermore, the idea of cleaning out hoarded items leads to panic. [continue reading…]

With one-in-five people having a disability in the U.S. today, the lack of representation – just 2.2 percent of characters in the 100 top-grossing films of 2023 – means that millions of people are unable to see themselves reflected in media.

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival (January 23 – Feb 2) will provide an opportunity for audiences with various disabilities to see themselves represented – both in-person and virtually.

This year, several films feature disability in the plot. In particular, several films feature deafness: documentaries Deaf President Now! and Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, as well as short film Ragamuffin.

Additional films include features Come See Me in the Good Light, Life After, Third Act, Two Women, episodic BULLDOZER, and short films Out for Delivery, The Reality of Hope, The Things We Keep, Unholy, View From the Floor, among others. [continue reading…]

According to the 2023 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report Presents: Streaming Television,14.3% of lead actors in the top streaming shows (live-action, scripted comedy, and drama series) in 2023 have a known disability. However, this statistic does not tell the whole story. Disability Belongs™ adds important context: the majority of these actors have nonapparent disabilities, meaning their disabilities are not immediately visible or visible to others at all.

The report also found that only 8.2% of co-lead actors in these shows have a known disability—a smaller share than lead actors. In comparison, 26% of adults in the U.S. identify as having a disability, underscoring the significant underrepresentation of disabled actors in these roles.

The UCLA report states that:

“Disability status was collected using Gracenote’s Studio System and Luminate Film & TV (formerly Variety Insight), which both note disability status that has been stated publicly. Types of disability that are tracked include the following: hearing, intellectual/developmental, mental health, neurodiverse, physical, visual, and non-specified.” [continue reading…]