Kean University Presents ReelAbilities: New Jersey Disabilities Film Festival

originally published: 04/11/2018



(UNION, NJ) -- Kean University presents ReelAbilities: New Jersey Disabilities Film Festival from April 19-22. The festival celebrates the lives, stories and artistic abilities of people with all types of disabilities through award-winning international films.

Admission is $5 and includes a feature presentation preceded by a short film. Brief post-screening programs bring the community together to further explore the diversity of our shared human experiences. All films will be held at the North Avenue Academic Building (NAAB) in Union, NJ. Here's a look at this year's lineup.

Thursday, April 19 at 6:30pm - American Veteran. Sgt. Nick Mendes was paralyzed from the neck down by an IED and suffers from PTSD. The film follows Nick’s journey over the course of 5 years, sharing his sometimes harrowing, sometimes romantic, and often surprisingly funny life. (1hr 15 min.) This film will be preceeded by Birthday (16min).

Thursday, April 19 at 8:30pm -- Patrick's Day. Patrick is a warm young man living with schizophrenia. Medication and his mother’s fierce protection means he is no threat to himself or anyone else—until St. Patrick’s Day, when he meets Karen, a suicidal flight attendant. (1hr 38 min.) This film will be preceeded by Aftermath (6min).

Friday, April 20 at 12:30pm -- Ballad from Tibet. Based on a true story. Four young students from a school for the blind embark on an odyssey from their remote village in Tibet to the giant city of Shenzhen in order to sing on a TV talent competition. (1hr 26 min.) This film will be preceeded by How We Met Laurel (12 min).

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Friday, April 20 at 6:30pm - Aphasia. The true story of actor Carl McIntyre about the effects of a massive stroke he suffered at the age of 44 - he lost his ability to read, write and speak. Starring as himself, McIntyre portrays his life story with an incredibly nuanced performance. (40 min.) This film will be preceeded by Mr. Connelly has ALS (32 min).

Friday, April 20 at 8:30pm - Mind Over Matter. A young man with cerebral palsy overcomes a paralyzed left hand, bullies and stereotypes, dreaming of becoming a rock guitarist even while told he will never succeed. His dreams become reality as he leads his own band, expressing himself through music, modeled after the band Korn. (1hr 27 min.) This film will be preceeded by Maria & Pete (10 min).

Saturday, April 21 at 2:00pm - Reel Love (shorts). Four short films about love including: 1) Aglaée, 2) Leo & Carole, 3) Intimacy, 4) All Day, and 5) Maria & Pete. (1hr 15 min. total)

Saturday, April 21 at 4:00pm - Bottom Dollar. The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act created the revolutionary workers’ rights protection: the minimum wage. Yet as the film uncovers, Section 14(c) still provides a terrible and abusive exemption that allows employers to pay "special minimum wages" –– below Federal minimum wage –– to workers with disabilities. (55 min.) This film will be preceeded by Design-Ability (33 min).

Saturday, April 21 at 8:00pm - Defiant Lives. Weaving together never-before-seen archival footage with reflective interviews and the personal stories of men and women with disabilities as they fought for independence and control over their lives, Defiant Lives details the rise of the disability rights movement in Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. (1hr 23 min.) This film will be preceeded by 46/47 (8 min) and The Milky Pop Kid (7 min).

Sunday, April 22 at 11:00am - Perfectly Normal For Me. At a unique after-school dance program in Queens, kids with a variety of physical and developmental disabilities pair with teenage volunteer helpers and create an inclusive environment too often absent in our world. (57 min.) This film will be preceeded by Macropolis (7 min).

Sunday, April 22 at 3:00pm - Margarita with a Straw. A funky, stereotype-busting coming-of-age tale based on the true story of a Punjabi teenage girl with cerebral palsy. Laila, an aspiring writer and secret rebel in a wheelchair, is accepted to New York University and leaves India for Manhattan. After a chance encounter with a fiery female activist, Laila starts to grow emotionally and explore this new world. This TIFF award-winning drama is a beautiful, bold and brave portrait of love, identity and sexuality. (1hr 41 min.) This film will be preceeded by I Don't Wanna Go Back Alone (17 min).

All films are captioned unless otherwise noted. Kean Stage will make every effort to meet advanced requests for assistive listening devices, ASL interpretation, CART, audio description and large-print programs. Venue is wheelchair accessible and ample accessible parking is available.