Movies

So Much So Fast: A Movie Reaffirming the Precious Value of Life

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:21:00 GMT

What would you do if you found out you only had a few years left to live? Would you retreat into a shell? Or would you live your remaining life to the fullest? That’s the dilemma faced by Stephen Haywood when he’s diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) at the age of 29. So Much So Fast chronicles his life from the early stages of the disease through its devastating impact over the intervening years, documenting his physical deterioration but also mental determination in the face of an almost certain death sentence. It’s a gripping, heartbreaking documentary that reaffirms the precious value of life in the face of adversity while concurrently condemning our profit-driven medical system.

Instead of shutting himself out of society, Stephen resolves to cling to a normal existence, quickly finding a wife and fathering a son while busying himself with two back-to-back home reconstruction projects. His actions might strike some as selfish, as he knows that in all likelihood he will be leaving his wife and young child shortly into their lives together, but when put into perspective of his tight-knit extended family it’s clear that he’s acting out of love and not self-serving interests. Stephen maintains a positive attitude throughout his tribulations, making him an extremely likeable subject while also deepening our grief over his impending fate.

The disease wreaks havoc on his family, especially his older brother, Jamie, who attempts to find a cure in time to save Stephen. In spite of his complete lack of any medical background, Jamie’s passion leads him to abandon his own career to establish a small research foundation that gradually grows into a multimillion-dollar organization, the largest ALS research facility in the world. The lab eventually creates a streamlined process to test a kitchen sink variety of potential ALS drugs in mice on a large scale in the hopes of finding a miracle cure before Stephen’s time runs out, completely circumventing the traditional lengthy medical testing model. As explained in the film, the medical community doesn’t devote much effort to finding an ALS cure because the big pharmaceutical companies don’t see any profit potential due to the small population of victims. Jamie is faced with extremely long odds, but his love for his brother gives him the determination he needs to search for a cure by any means necessary. His personal life begins to suffer as his obsession takes first place above his wife and career, turning him into a tragic figure along with his brother.

The documentary was filmed by Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan, previous Oscar nominees with a strong shot to return next year. Jordan’s own mother was a victim of ALS, giving them added personal interest in capturing the Haywood story. They followed Stephen’s family over the course of nearly five years, capturing Stephen’s horrible deterioration from a fairly active young man to a virtual vegetable wholly reliant on machines to move, breath, and communicate. The one constant throughout is the deep love he has for his family and vice versa, bridging all physical infirmities to maintain a strong family unit. Ascher and Jordan wisely keep a clear and solitary focus on the Haywood family, letting the story play out naturally without the use of any archival footage or personal diatribes against the drug companies. This is poignant material that doesn’t need any explanation, presented in such a way that viewers will have no trouble drawing their own conclusions about the drastic shortcomings of our medical system. It’s astounding that they started this film with no clear indication of where or when it would end, and astonishing that the final results are so overwhelmingly powerful.

So Much So Fast is currently screening in limited release around the country, check the film’s website for DVD release information.

Beyond Boundaries: The BBC Portrays Disability in a New Light

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:52:00 GMT

The BBC television series, Beyond Boundaries, attracts millions of viewers every episode. Each series is based on a group of participants with disabilities undertaking an adventurous journey. The first series saw a team cross Nicaragua from Pacific to Atlantic, summiting a volcano, and thrashing through jungle en route. Team members include amputees, wheelchair users, hearing and visual impairments, and a whole range of other congenital and sensory disabilities. The second series took a team 2,000km across Africa, from Victoria Falls to the Skeleton Coast by foot, crutch, special all-terrain wheelchair, donkeys, kayaks, and elephants. The most recent series has seen a multi-disability team cross the Andes.

Working as a team in an environment where human endurance is pushed to the extreme, the journeys certainly teach participants a lot about themselves and each other. Kim Williams has cerebral palsy and took part in the African challenge. Walking is difficult for her, and the expedition was a huge physical challenge. Frustration was a part of the adventure, to be sure, but overall she seems to have found it a positive experience.

“If individuals have aspirations—either dangerous or adventurous—then there’s no reason why their disability should stop them from achieving that.” (Kim Williams, quoted from an article in Able magazine).

Whilst Beyond Boundaries seems to be giving some participants a positive experience, I’ve heard viewers express a wide range of opinions—everything from “I can’t stand watching it; it’s just another dodgy reality TV show, voyeuristic . . .” to “It’s fantastic, so inspiring.”

In every series, some team members are sent home or choose to go home, for health or other reasons. It’s hardly surprising, given that participants are asked to do things which, without the right equipment or protection, are clearly going to be damaging. Being paralysed myself, keen on outdoor adventure, and an advocate of pushing boundaries, I ‘adventure’ with an acute awareness of the need for the right equipment, and the potential risks of not having it. For example, a pressure sore on your backside could put you out of action for a year. Have the producers perhaps overlooked some of these critical things that are the “make or break” of a successful expedition and experience for everyone?

I wonder if Beyond Boundaries is really about showing what can be done with a disability when you have good equipment and teamwork, or is it put together with more attention to drama and team breakdown—presumably with the notion that this will increase viewing statistics?

Either way, the Beyond Boundaries series has undoubtedly improved access to information about inclusive outdoor activities and expeditions. While some may not like it, Beyond Boundaries raises the aspirations of many people with disabilites and viewers, and improves the general public’s understanding of a diverse range of disabilities.

Interested to learn more? Type BBC Beyond Boundaries into any search engine. Or try http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/tvradio/beyondboundaries/
links.shtml as a source of more information if you’re interested in inclusive expeditions; there are lots of useful links here. The UK Royal Geographical Society Expedition Advisory Centre can also help: www.rgs.org/eac.

John Callahan Makes a Living Laughing at Disability

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:51:00 GMT

Reilly O’Reilly, a foul-mouthed drunk who also happens to be a quadriplegic, is the world’s ultimate—if reluctant—handicapped anti-hero. Along with the dysfunctional little family of “differently-abled housemates” he’s assembled to share the mansion purchased for him by the millionaire whose car ran over him, Reilly is also the star of the darkly-hilarious animated comedy, Quads! from the brilliant mind of animator John Callahan.

Reilly’s housemates at “Maimed Manor” are the blind and black (but-not-musical) Fontaine; the head-on-a-skateboard Blazer; and the former masseur with hooks for hands named Lefty. Reilly also has an air-headed, hemp-wearing, VW minibus-driving, new-age hippy girlfriend Franny as well as a belching, Irish barkeeper friend called Griz.

The humor is mature and, on paper, Quads! might sound little more than distasteful. In reality, though, the Canadian-Australian co-production is refreshing, honest, and hilarious while simultaneously being obscene, inappropriate, and rude (just what adults want in a cartoon). It also succeeds at putting disability in perspective, poking fun at stereotypes, and humanizing the disabled by portraying them as selfish and manipulative. That’s a far cry from the media’s tendency to cast them as the objects of automatic, monotonous sympathy.

This makes sense when you learn that the mind behind the series, acclaimed and infamous cartoonist Callahan, is a C5-6 quadriplegic himself. He has been since the age of 21 years old when the car in which he rode shotgun plowed into a light pole at 90 miles an hour. Callahan first greeted his injury with rage and alcohol before entering treatment, returning to school, and eventually channeling his warped sense of humor into the world of cartoons.

To date, his creations have appeared in everything from Hustler to The New Yorker. And his autobiography, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot, an unflinchingly honest account of his accident, his alcoholism and his search for his birth mother, made it to the New York Times Best Seller List. TriStar has also reportedly purchased the movie rights to his story as a vehicle for Robin Williams and director, Gus Van Sant.

“By the time Robin Williams makes that movie, we’ll all be in wheelchairs,” Callahan quipped to Portland’s Willamette Week. In the meantime, he’s stuck to writing books and focusing not only on Quads! (which Callahan calls “balls-out cripple humor”) but also on a TV series for kids called Pelswick.

Pelswick Eggert is an ordinary (but animated) kid who, unlike his friends, gets around via a cool set of wheels and refers to himself as “permanently seated.” He goes through everything most kids do (school, zits, friends, and yes, girls) but Pelswick refuses to follow the flock. He’s his own dude indeed.

In both Quads! and Pelswick, Callahan’s sharp sense of humor seems to break all boundaries. He adds his unique blend of razor-sharp wit, heart, and real-life experience to both of these shows, making them collectively a “don’t-miss” for anyone living with (or without) a disability.

Blindsight Offers an Intimate Look at Blind Mountaineers

Fri, 30 May 2008 17:51:00 GMT

Imagine climbing the highest peaks on Earth. Now imagine doing it blind.

Such was the case for Erik Weihenmayer, when, on May 25, 2001, he became the only blind man in history to reach the summit of the world's highest peak- Mount Everest. And on September 5, 2002, when he stood on top of Mt. Kosciusko in Australia, Weihenmayer completed his seven-year quest to climb the Seven Summits- the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, joining only 100 mountaineers who have accomplished that feat.

Shortly after summiting Everest, Weihenmayer received a letter from blind educator, Sabriye Tenberken, who founded Braille without Borders, the first and only school for the blind in Tibet. After exclaiming, “If you could climb to the top of the world, we also can overcome our borders and show to the world that the blind can equally participate in society and are able to accomplish great things,” Tenberken invited Weihenmayer to come to Tibet, meet her students, and possible lead them in a climbing clinic.

Upon reading the letter, Weihenmayer thought, “Maybe the kids could do their own expedition. If these kids can climb their own Everest, God, what a statement that will make throughout the world.” He assembled members of his Everest climbing team to discuss various climbing possibilities and the idea for the climb (and the film) was born.

“Erik told me climbing mountains gave him confidence as a blind teenager and he wanted to share that experience with these blind Tibetan kids. He asked me if I thought taking six blind Tibetan teenagers up a 23,000 foot mountain in the Himalayas sounded like a movie. I told him it did and decided to make it,” said producer Sybil Robson-Orr.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, Blindsight follows the gripping adventure of six Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the 23,000 foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. Believed by many Tibetans to be possessed by demons, the children are shunned by their parents, scorned by their villages and rejected by society. Erik arrives in Lhasa and inspires Sabriye and her students Kyila, Sonam Bhumtso, Tashi, Gyenshen, Dachung, and Tenzin to let him lead them higher than they have ever been before. The resulting three-week journey is beyond anything any of them could have predicted.

Blindsight premiered at the Toronto and London Film Festivals to uproarious standing ovations. Then, at the two biggest film festivals in the world, Los Angeles and Berlin, it was honored with the "audience award." It was also short listed for an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.

The film has also been praised by critics around the world. Desson Thomson, Washington Post film critic, wrote, “Blindsight makes us consider an apparent paradox that, for the blind, is the philosophical starting point of their day: how to see things the human eye won't register.” Jeanette Catsoulis of the New York Times stated, “Blindsight is one of those documentaries with the power to make you re-examine your entire life.”

Erik Weihenmayer’s reason for pursuing the film was as profound as it was enlightening. “When you suffer together, that’s when you make the closest connection to the people around you,” he said. After reaching the highest summits in the world, empowering others to learn from his example, find strength in his adversities and follow in his footsteps is arguably a more admirable quest that will help build a better society.

Sybil Robson-Orr concluded, “My hope is that Sabriye, Erik and the kids inspire our audience to push through their personal boundaries and reach for their dreams. Through them, we can see that anything in life, whether we are physically challenged or not, is possible if we build the right team around us. They don’t want to be seen as blind people who do great things, but rather ambassadors for everyone who believes in climbing higher.”

Blindsight – Movie Release Information* – North America
(showings as of May 27, 2008)

Monday 23 May 2008
Fall Creek Pictures, Ithaca, NY

Friday 30 May 2008
Edwards Westpark 8, Irvine, CA
Laemmle, Los Angeles, CA

Friday 6 June 2008
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

Tuesday 10 June 2008
(one day only) Sedona Film Festival, Sedona, AZ
Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
Reel Pizza Cinerama, Bar Harbor, ME

Thursday 12 June 2008
Paramount Center, Peekskill, NY

Friday 13 June 2008
Cinéma du Parc, Montréal, QC
Carlisle Theatre, Carlisle, PA

Friday 20 June 2008
Hippodrome State Theatre, Gainesville, FL

Thursday 17 July 2008
Cleveland Cinematheque, Cleveland, OH

Sunday 20 July 2008
Cleveland Cinematheque, Cleveland, OH

Monday 21 July 2008
Bear Tooth Theatre, Anchorage, AK

Saturday 2 August 2008
Rubin Museum of Art, NYC, NY

Sunday 12th October 2008
(one day only) Robinson Film Center, Shreveport, LA

* Special screenings, fundraisers and exclusive showings may also be arranged

Please visit www.blindsightthemovie.com for updated information as releases and special events are added regularly

The U.K.’s Only Disabled Punk Band Demonstrates That Disability, Indeed, Rocks

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:33:00 GMT

When you first hear a new band, it’s hard not to place them in a mental box neatly labeled and socked away in whatever ward of your memory is reserved for that genre. One listen to Heavy Load, a UK-based punk outfit uniquely made up of musicians with and without learning disabilities, however, will have your mind spinning and searching for the band’s place.

The band members describe themselves as being subject to the combustible flux of ego, ambition, fantasy, expectation, and desire that fuels any emerging band. With influences ranging from George Michael to The Cramps, Heavy Load has spread its combination of raucous energy, attitude, and sheer volume throughout the world for 12 years. Now the band is about to hit the big time: the feature-length documentary, Heavy Load: A Film about Happiness, about their journey from social care to stardom, and back again. The film debuted at SXSW (South by South West) film festival this year and was received with critical acclaim.

Director Jerry Rothwell contacted Heavy Load to make the film after reading about them in a newsletter for people with learning disabilities. Shot over two years as the band records its first album, "The Queen Mother’s Dead," the film takes viewers along as Heavy Load expands its reach from disability club nights to more mainstream gigs—and sells out venues along the way.

The band was relatively unknown when Rothwell first began filming them. According to The Austin Chronicle, Rothwell, in the midst of a struggle with his own depression, embraced the band’s potential as “a group that existed outside the mainstream commercial music world and that, in the true punk spirit, was making music ‘for fun, not fame’ and happily destroying expectations in the process.”

During the filming of the movie, the band conceived and launched the now-nationally renowned “Stay Up Late” campaign. Viewers watch as members of Heavy Load work to liberate disabled adults from a curfew system that prevents them from fully defining their own fates, careers, and lives.

And they do it while sticking to the true punk code based on an aversion to conformity, the desire to speak loudly about what they believe in, and to lobby for those who can’t do it for themselves, even in the face of authority. Rothwell’s own adherence to a similar code comes through in the film. Without embracing the sentimental or super-crip ideals evident in so many documentaries about disability, Rothwell dismisses the idea that the film is even about triumph over tragedy. “It’s about the joys of being in a rock band. Filming these guys, I realized they had something that is missing from so many people's lives: happiness,” Rothwell says.

Michael White, one of three Heavy Load members who has a learning disability, said, “Being in the film has made us more relaxed. We hope it'll make us famous.”

Heavy Load, presented by APT Films, Met Film and Hi8us, is an IFC co-production with ITVS International in association with BBC Television.

Read more:
To read more about documentaries based on disabilties, see Reviewing an Intimate Documentary About the True Face of War.

To read more about musicians with disabilities, see:
- Discovering Clon: Dancing K-Pop Stars Integrate Wheelchairs with Their Moves

- Tobias Forrest: Singer with Disability Sees Acceptance on Stage as Band "Cityzen" Gains Attention

- Keith Jones: Conquering the Music Industry with Cerebral Palsy

Kurt Yaeger: Actor Reaches Beyond Label of Amputee

Mon, 05 May 2008 17:03:00 GMT

Actor Kurt Yaeger is forging a new path for performers with disabilities through talent, hard work and self-promotion. Taking a hands-on approach, Yaeger has found success over the last year despite being a single-leg amputee.

Through 75 auditions, he gained work in the film Charlie Wilson's War, nine independent films, and three TV shows. His work can also been seen in print and industrials. A short film he wrote and directed Midnight Snack and his reel are also available on the Internet at www.YouTube.com/crowbar4130.

Handsome and athletic, Yaeger is currently rehearsing for the lead role in an independent film shooting in San Francisco, The Tenderloin, written by Ned Miller, produced by Sam Rider and directed by Mike Anderson. The release date is late 2008 and the film will be submitted to festivals such as Sundance, San Francisco, Toronto, Mill Valley, and Cannes.

"My amputation is a non-issue in auditions. Only once, I had to let them know for a photo shoot, which required a shot by a swimming pool," Yaeger explains, "but directors and writers are receptive to confidence. You have to be confident in your ability during the audition. I landed the lead role in The Tenderloin, but the director didn't know I was an amputee because I was hired to play an able-bodied character. When he found out, he wrote it into the script that the character was ex-military. It added another dimension to the character. It's not done in an exploitive way, but only shown to establish that the character is an amputee. It also gives merit to the character's military history and his will to overcome obstacles."

Yaeger admits he hasn't experienced discrimination in the entertainment industry. In fact, he's been welcomed with open arms by some of the biggest names in the industry.

"On Charlie Wilson's War, I hung out with actor Tom Hanks and director Mike Nichols. It was after my second amputation when I was hired on that film," Yaeger says. "I was chosen as one of two amputees to add war prosthetics and featured in one of the scenes. I drove down from San Francisco, lived in my father's motorhome near the shooting location, made friends with security on the set and got to know people. Working on that film was a great experience. It led me to writing, directing and posting my work on http://www.youtube.com/crowbar4130.”

Living to see that experience is a story in itself.

Yaeger, who was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, had an interest in performing when he was a child appearing in church plays. Overwhelming his interest in acting was his in-born love of motorcycles and bicycles.

"My father raced cars and competed in motorcycle enduros. I rode my first motorcycle at the age of three. I love the ride," Yaeger enthuses, "and I was always riding bicycles at home. I was athletic and quit playing football to focus on riding BMX. It was a progression to becoming a professional BMX rider. There were no X-Games then. But, once corporate America joined in to support the BMX culture, that's when it became more popular to the public. I learned how to self-promote with BMX companies, got sponsors with extreme sports companies and clothing companies associated with surfing."

Yaeger was supported by major sponsors such as Solid Bikes in the BMX industry, Split Clothing which was influenced by skateboarding, Vision Streetwear, Odyssey and other companies.

As a professional BMX rider for eight years, Yaeger was cast in Nickelodeon's live tour based on the popular cartoon show Rocket Power. When Yaeger returned to college to pursue a Masters Degree in Hydrogeology, a motorcycle accident changed the course of his life.

"It happened on May 30, 2006. I went straight into a guardrail at 80 miles per hour. It was 3 o'clock in the morning. I have flashes of a white car and I think it was a hit and run, but there were no witnesses. I laid on the side of the road until I finally woke up. Confused, I first called my then wife, and moments later I called 911. I was in a coma in the ICU for more than a week. Those first two weeks, I wasn't expected to make it," Yaeger remembers, "but I did. My right ACL and MCL were torn, my pelvis and bladder were torn in half, I had seven vertebra that were broken, my lungs collapsed, I had broken ribs and a severe concussion. My leg was destroyed and eventually, when it came down to it, it was my decision to tell the doctors to amputate my leg below the knee. I was lucky to be alive."

While recovering and using a prosthetic leg, Yaeger was suffering from immense pain.

"A new set of doctors had to re-amputate the same leg a little higher because the bones were cut wrong the first time," Yaeger says. "As I was recovering from the second amputation, I thought about a new career and found a website www.amputeeresource.org/Amputees_In_Hollywood.html. I posted my picture on that Web site, was called by a casting agency, and they hired me for Charlie Wilson's War. I'm also surrounded by good people. Jonathan Kaplan, director and producer of CBS's Without A Trace, and his associate Laura Voglesong were extremely kind to me. Jonathan and his associate helped set up a meeting with the E.R. casting director John Levey, who was very kind in taking the time to meet with me. The Media Access Office and both Gloria M. Castañeda and Douglas W. Gordy, Ph.D, have also helped me get auditions and encouraged me in building my acting career."

Most of the time, people have no idea that Yaeger has a prostethic leg.

"I play pickup games of basketball and I'm extremely athletic, which offers something extra to my acting. But, often people don't know that I'm an amputee," Yaeger explains. "The only times I have a problem is when I park my car in handicapped parking spaces. I look extremely healthy. I get yelled at sometimes and older people give me dirty looks. Metermaids have questioned me for handicapped paperwork. I lift up my pant leg and show them, then they understand."

Yaeger now has an opportunity to play a character for a weekly cable television series. The executive producer on the project has promised Yaeger the lead role.

"I'd be shown as an amputee if the TV show gets a greenlight," Yaeger notes, "Meanwhile, I've built my career over the last year through auditions, personal meetings at film festivals and with casting directors, along with self-promotion on http://www.youtube.com/crowbar4130. I write and direct my own projects. Looking at it from the other side and auditioning actors, no matter whether you have a disability or not, you have to show confidence, be believable and likable. Show them that you're easy to work with, because it makes a difference. In my own work, people are surprised I've gotten to this point and found success so quickly. They say it takes five years to do what I've done in one year. While I'm grateful, I'm not satisfied. There's so much more I want to do."

When asked if the theatre and Shakespeare are in his future, Yaeger jokingly replies, "Amputee or not to be. Anything is possible." For Yaeger, acting is simply an art he enjoys as he embraces playing both disabled and able-bodied characters.

"I really like the quiet moments in acting, the breaks from dialogue, where the mind is teleported into this new world of fantasy. It's freeing to play a tough guy and chase someone down a street in a film. It wouldn't happen in real-life. I forget my own disability and that's fun," Yaeger adds, "and, honestly, when I'm acting I don't feel like an amputee. You have to create opportunities. This isn't luck, instead it's opportunity met with preparation. Lucky is finding a $5 bill. That isn't the entertainment industry. You make a goal feasible by creating the opportunity first. I just want to be a working actor. If I can make a teacher's salary by acting and continue to work, that will be my success!"

For more information on Kurt Yaeger's career link to www.KurtYaeger.com.

To view his acting work or the film he wrote and directed link to www.youtube.com/crowbar4130.

For more information about performers with disabilities visit www.PerformersWithDisabilities.com.

Ann Stocking is Paving the Way for Actors with Disabilities

Mon, 05 May 2008 16:22:00 GMT

Actress Ann Stocking has a memorable scene in the film Stuck On You. She plays a casting director who is faced with conjoined twins Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear, but only one of them wants to act on film.

What the audience didn't notice in that scene was that Stocking has a disability. In real life, Stocking uses a wheelchair for distances because at the age of two she was diagnosed with a childhood disease that ended up causing scoliosis and partial paralysis.

"My disability isn't shown in Stuck On You. I'm just sitting there as the character. The Farrelly brothers have done more for people with disabilities in films than any other directors. I'm very grateful for my part in that film," Stocking said. "The problem is reaching beyond the Farrelly brothers and into dramatic roles. It's very hard for me to get auditions and they will not see me unless the role specifically says the character has a disability. I only get two to five auditions a year. For my able-bodied actor friends to gain work, it takes more than twenty auditions to finally land a job."

Stocking is taking an active role in Hollywood as she is in charge of the artistic vision of the Performers With Disabilities Committee for the Screen Actors Guild.

"We meet regularly and we know how difficult it is for people with disabilities. But, there are people with disabilities in the workforce and in the fabric of American life. We deserve to be seen in equal representation. We should not be ignored," Stocking said. "We can't be told we shouldn't be a part of the process anymore."

In fact, Stocking knows what she's talking about because she's one of the early pioneers in gaining professional training as advanced degrees in the arts for people with disabilities are rare.

"The Department of Rehabilitation will pay for your education if you're disabled. I told my counselor I wanted drama to be my major. My counselor with the Department of Rehabilitation immediately discouraged me from that major, saying acting wasn't considered a viable job," Stocking explained. "Instead they suggested computer programming. I auditioned for the Miracle Worker and was cast as an orphan. I did a lot of theatre shows after that, but a professor told me acting couldn't be my profession because there were not that many disabled actors. He cast me because he thought I was great, but still discouraged me."

Stocking listened to the advice for 10 years, but the Other Voices Project at the Mark Taper Forum led her back to what she loves.

"I did readings and got very involved. The vice chair at UCLA saw me do a reading and invited me to audition for the Masters of Fine Arts program where 700 people audition, but they only take 12. I auditioned and was accepted. I finished the intensive program in three years and graduated in 2001. I'm very proud of getting in because conservatory training was completely barred for the disabled. We were not welcome. Previously, I auditioned for NYU. I was asked, 'What are you going to do about the dance requirement?' There was no accommodation and that was the reason for not allowing people to gain professional training. At UCLA, things were modified. My training led to auditions and work in the theatre until 2003, when I landed Stuck On You. I also appeared on a show on the WB in Twins."

While the door should swing open for a classically trained dramatic actress, that is not the case.

"It's not a glass ceiling for disabled actors, it's a leaded cement block. It's prejudice," Stocking said. "We've tried being nice but it hasn't worked because they don’t care. Now, we need to be honest and speak up. There's been no unifying organization yet. The perception is that there aren't enough of us. My MFA at UCLA counts in the theatre world, but not in film and television. Of course, if they need someone with a disability, they can't see someone fast enough. But, producers don't want to add disability as diversity to the Casting Data Report. They're afraid of lawsuits because it will show they haven't cast us in their shows."

Despite the frustrations, the spirit she's been seeing from new performers is encouraging.

"I feel disabled actors who have been trying to get their big break in LA for many years often end up wrestling with their self-image after facing so much unwarranted rejection. But, I recently met a young girl who was an amputee on the set of the show 'I'm With Stupid,' and she did not have inferiority. Those are the fruits the American Disabilities Act," Stocking explained. "My work continues. I'm an artist first and foremost. I go to acting class twice a week. I work on the classics and they feed me. We're artists who hope to improve the quality of the work."

Anyone who has studied films involving disabilities knows that they often win awards.

"Producers have used our stories to win Oscars, they love the drama of the big disabled story. We can't be told we shouldn't be a part of it, but we're completely shut out of the process. They hire blind actors to train sighted actors to play blind characters. Why not hire blind actors?" Stocking asked. "They say we're just as good as other actors. In reality, we're better. Given our experiences, we have stared death in the face. We bring powerful experiences to draw on and we can bring that experience to roles. I know what it's like to have someone stare at you for thirty years. In plays and movies, characters are usually in trouble and are trying to turn their lives around. Who knows that more? We have something to offer unequalled in American society."

Stocking's most recent project was serving as Assistant Director on the production of The History of Bowling at The NoHo Arts Center, North Hollywood, California.

"It was a fantastic show," Stocking reminded. "It's a funny love story that happens to be about people with disabilities."

For more information on The History of Bowling or the Screen Actors Guild Performers with Disabilities Committee visit www.PerformersWithDisabilities.com.

Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts: Celebrating Two Decades of Artists with Disabilities

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:27:00 GMT

"Things are opening up in film, television and theatre with respect to issues of disability—there has been progress. At the same time, the surface has barely been scratched," says Sharon Jensen, executive director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts.

Based in New York City, the Alliance, formerly the Non-Traditional Casting Project (NTCP), is a national nonprofit established in 1986 to address and seek solutions to racism and exclusion in theatre, film, and television; Jensen came on as executive director in 1989. Three years in, NTCP expanded its mission to include artists with disabilities. "When I first came on board, I tried to raise cultural awareness," Jensen says. "I routinely asked casting directors, 'Would you consider an actor with a disability?' Nine out of 10 times they said, 'No, not this time,' or 'Maybe, later, which seldom came.' Now, one out of three casting directors will say, 'What an interesting idea.' I hadn't thought of that. Let me think about it.' "

Today, because of its ongoing commitment to full inclusion, the Alliance is considered an established leader in the arts and entertainment field with respect to these issues.

An early environment of cultural diversity shaped Jensen's interest. "My parents had a global view," she says. "They recognized there were many cultures in the world, many ways to think, approach life, and contribute. We often had guests from different parts of the world whom my parents had met on their travels who would stop by to visit and stay in our home, which could barely accommodate our nuclear family, in my small hometown in Michigan—one gentleman stayed for six weeks! Living in a multicultural environment was the norm for me. I went to college with a girl who had cerebral palsy. In my 20s, I made friends in the deaf and hard-of-hearing community and learned sign language," Jensen explains. "One thing built upon another. Prior to coming to the Alliance, I had either worked for or led nonprofit arts organizations for 17 years. When this opportunity came along, it was a perfect fit."

Jensen believes "education—the earlier the better—is critical to understanding the lived experience of disability" and Christine Bruno, Disability Advocate for the Alliance, agrees. Bruno, who has cerebral palsy, understands the hurdles faced by artists with disabilities and the trepidation of decision makers such as producers, directors, and casting directors.

"In addition to my work with the Alliance, I'm also an actor and teaching artist with an M.F.A. in acting and directing. As such, I have an inherent understanding of the challenges performers with disabilities face and am able to answer their questions and help address their concerns," Bruno explains. "I'm also a direct liaison between disabled performers and decision makers, who often have limited knowledge of disability. A large part of my job as Disability Advocate is to guide, support, and educate decision makers through the process of working with disabled artists, from initial consultation through performance."

"As a teaching artist, I visit New York City schools with a team of other artists. We promote disability awareness using a variety of tools, including puppets, monologues and scenes, and theatre games to introduce mostly nondisabled children to disability. With the older kids, I share my personal story and facilitate question-and-answer sessions. The best part is that all my jobs—Disability Advocate, actor, and teaching artist—feed into one another and each influences the other in a positive way," Bruno says.

"What we've found," Jensen explains, "both with respect to artists of color and those with disabilities is that before you can have real change, you need a sensitized environment in which change can occur." To that end, the Alliance works with every sector of the industry and at every stage of the process, from initial idea through production.

Jensen says, "One of the Alliance's strengths is bringing professionals together around these issues. Our goal is to expand thinking that will then lead to a change in practices. Therefore, on an ongoing basis, we invite casting personnel, directors, writers, union and guild representatives, producers, artists, disability experts, network executives, and educators to participate in a variety of discussion formats, from small roundtables to large resource events." Jensen explains. "The feedback has been incredibly positive, including comments that range from 'eye-opening' to 'life-changing.' Unless industry professionals have had a direct experience with disability, most haven't considered the options or thought about it before. People are open to new experiences and to change, but we have to talk about it."

In 2006, the Alliance launched Disability in Entertainment and Arts Link (DEAL)—a direct result of bringing industry professionals together around the issue of disability. "DEAL was specifically born out of two events: The first, a collaboration of the Alliance, Columbia University Seminar on Disability Studies and Columbia University Arts Initiative, focused on theatre and casting practices and was held in 2005 at the Public Theater in New York City. We invited leading disabled and nondisabled artists and decision makers to participate in an open discussion about issues of disability," Jensen explains. "One hundred-thirty five professionals—performers, producers, writers, directors, casting directors, and educators—attended. Following that symposium, a highly respected theatre and television writer suggested we hold a similar event specifically for writers. Partnering with The Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.; New Dramatists, Writers Guild of America, East; and the WGA, East Foundation, Written on the Body: A Conversation About Disability (full transcript available on the Alliance website) was held in April 2006 at HBO in New York City."

DEAL is a collective of arts and entertainment professionals dedicated to the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all sectors of American arts and entertainment whose mission is to help artists and decision makers in every sector of the industry develop projects that reflect the changing landscape of disability, introduce provocative ideas about disability, and put forth a more authentic representation of what it means to be a disabled person in the 21st century. Utilizing the expertise, talents, and access to resources and information of each of its members, DEAL was expressly created to aid industry professionals at every stage of the creative process—from development of the initial idea through production, marketing and public presentation.

The growth that has taken place over the last decade, Jensen and Bruno stress, has been a joint venture. "It's taken like-minded people and organizations with common interests working for change, such as the Tri-Union Performers with Disabilities Committees and the Media Access Office in California. Our mutual efforts have increased opportunities for the available talent pool of disabled artists, and we hope, provided role models for younger, aspiring disabled artists to demonstrate that a life and career in the arts is possible," Jensen says.

"Often our work is behind the scenes and under the radar. We get involved, not only in New York City where we are based, but all over the country." The Alliance has consulted on such projects as Academy Award–winning There Will Be Blood and NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent. "We worked with the executive producer of Law & Order: Criminal Intent on the episode "Silencer," which was about a murder on a deaf campus," Jensen explains. "They employed 51 deaf actors for that episode, seven as principals and 44 background actors. That's unprecedented."

"Nationally, the entire talent pool of performers with disabilities is between 900 to 1,000 and that includes actors with years of experience and training, background actors, and actors who are just starting out," Bruno explains. Comparatively, the combined membership of SAG, AFTRA, and Actors' Equity is approximately 150,000. (According to an article in the March 3 issue of Variety, an estimated 40,000 actors hold dual membership in SAG and AFTRA.) Those numbers and the fact that just 1.5% of SAG members identify as having a disability and of that 1.5 percent, just half of one percent has had speaking roles (according to a 2005 UCLA report), are a pretty clear indication that "this profession is lagging behind other professions, because so much of it is about the visual representation of what we see on stage and screen," Bruno says.

Given those odds, how then has this four-person nonprofit become nationally recognized for its 20-year commitment to inclusion in the industry? Jensen explains, "We're a small organization, but we can both initiate and respond to issues quickly. We try to reach people where they are, whether they are new to the issue or more advanced. We try to help them take next steps. Every day we learn something we didn't know before, and we're reminded there's always further to go and more to be done."

For more information on Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, visit www.inclusioninthearts.org.

Life Rolls On Ambassador Wins 2008 OSCAR®

Thu, 01 May 2008 23:24:00 GMT

Los Angeles-based Life Rolls On Foundation, dedicated to making the world aware that life with a spinal cord injury can still be amazing, has announced that LRO Ambassador Xavier Horan has received his first OSCAR®. Horan was part of the team that worked on the The Bourne Ultimatum and won the award for “Best Sound Editing.”

LRO also notes that as a sound editor, Horan has worked on films that include The Bucket List, Things We Lost in the Fire, License to Wed and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

For more information about Xavier Horan, see his Life Rolls On Ambassador profile here.

Reviewing an Intimate Documentary About the True Face of War

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:18:00 GMT

When—only two days after 9/11—22-year-old Tomas Young enlisted in the Army, he never dreamed he would come home paralyzed from a bullet to his spine. After making it through basic training, Tomas figured he would serve in Afghanistan, where there was evidence of terrorist camps. Instead, after serving in Iraq for less than a week, Tomas was shot just above the collarbone while riding with fellow soldiers in an unarmored Humvee with no canvas covering. He was instantly paralyzed.

Body of War is Tomas’ coming-home story. Independently produced and directed in tandem by talk show host Phil Donahue and documentary film maker Ellen Spiro, the movie features two original songs by Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder. It premiered on September 11, 2007, and was received with multiple standing ovations.

“To all the main-streamers in the press who supported the invasion of Iraq, to the pundits who continue to talk tough while other people’s kids die, to all the merry warriors who recruited Jesus to assist them in this massive foreign policy blunder—I have a soldier for you,” Donahue writes about the subject of his film.

T-4 is the spot on Tomas’ spine that severed. This means that Tomas can't walk or even cough and that many of his bodily functions are paralyzed so his bladder must be manually drained several times daily. And no small issue for a newly-married young man, Tomas quickly went from a social life of single bars and courtship to a daily routine of catheters, puke pans, and erectile dysfunction.

In the film, Tomas struggles to pull his pants over his numb legs while his fiancée worries about whether or not he’ll make it through their wedding without accidentally soiling his tuxedo. He also receives recommendations about Viagra from a Vietnam vet who uses a wheelchair.

“Being on camera all the time took a bit of getting used to. I wasn‘t entirely prepared for the level of involvement [Ellen and Phil] wanted to capture,” Tomas says. “As my political ideas began to foment and I became more active, I wanted to give them as much access as possible. And soon it became effortless to let them film even the most awkward parts of my day-to-day life.”

The movie moves on two parallel tracks: Viewers watch as Tomas evolves into a powerful anti-war voice while struggling with the complexities of a paralyzed body. At the same time, his experience is juxtaposed with a first-hand look at the now historic deliberations that raged through Congress about going to war in Iraq. Scenes of Tomas speaking out against the war are interspersed with the packaged debate in both houses of Congress, and the vote-by-vote tally in the Senate. (The vote on this resolution remains controversial to this day. In the current presidential campaign, this vote comes up again and again.)

These are the elements that make Body of War stand out in a market crowded with documentaries about the war in Iraq. Refreshingly, the standard Bush-bashing many films in this genre adopt is put aside in favor of an honest portrayal of the Congress members who voted to authorize the war. Body of War shows the other side of the story that begins with President Bush swaggering into the camera’s view and challenging the enemy to "Bring it on."

Every viewer stands to learn something from Tomas and Body of War is the tool through which they can do it. Both those who agree with the conclusions Tomas has reached and those who don’t will find him fascinating, charismatic, and extremely open about the events of his life that have led him to where he is now.

Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran, a double-CD compilation of songs compiled by Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, was released by Sire Records on March 18, 2008—two days before the fifth anniversary of the United States’ invasion of Iraq.

Andrew Shelley Documents His Treks in an Off-Road Wheelchair

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:40:00 GMT

Andrew “Drew” Shelley, a self professed weekend warrior, is like so many of us—he enjoys his job but he’s restless. He dreams of traveling the world and discovering new things. But Shelley and the rest of us part ways there, because he’s actually living out his dreams. And he’s doing that with the help of a 260-pound power chair specially equipped for off-road use.

When walking became difficult for him, Shelley, who has Muscular Dystrophy, adopted an X5 Frontier power chair that allowed him to continue living the adventurous lifestyle he’d grown to enjoy. While Shelley doesn't go so far as to describe himself as a macho guy, he does admit that he thrives to test his own limits.

That’s why, from November 2007-January 2008, this systems engineer by day set out to re-create himself, to start his life over in the hopes of ending up an even better person. He challenged himself and his chair by heading out to places like the jungles of Indonesia and the Australian outback.

With a small duffel bag tied onto the back of his chair Shelley rolled into LAX, leaving behind work, friends, comfort, and certainty in exchange for the terrifying unknown of a solo adventure around the world. What remains of his endeavor is documented in Beyond the Chair.

In the 90-minute documentary, viewers can live vicariously through Shelley as he takes on adventures in some of the most remote and almost completely unreachable corners of the globe. Shelley and his X5 Frontier crawled over steep granite cliffs, trekked deep into the mountains past any known hiking trails, and trod through the sloppy floors of mud caves. Sure, each stage of his trek presented unique (and sometimes unexpected) challenges, but Shelley used his sheer will, engineering background, and his extreme power chair to overcome each of them while his senses of humor and adventure remained in tact.

One of Shelley’s blog entries, titled “Cambodia, Part I,” tells of such adventure: “By now I'm pretty used to navigating the traffic madness in my chair. There are sidewalks but they are impassable because they are cluttered with mopeds and cars and shop vendors,” Shelley writes. “So my only choice is to wheel on the streets with all the mopeds and cars. Good news is that traffic doesn't flow that fast, so for the most part I can keep up. Again going through intersections I just weave through along with all the mopeds.”

The entry continues, “Of course the first thing that happens when I got here was a flat tire. Nail. I had some slime in my bag so got a guy at a motorbike shop to put it in. Didn't help, so he told me he would take my tire on his moped to his shop across town and get it fixed. And he'd do it for free. There was no way I was going to let him take my tire away because my chair would be useless without it. I didn't know if he would ever come back so he told me where some other tire shops were near me. So found the tire shop and they jacked up my chair, took the wheel off and pulled out the tube. The guy had a creative method for fixing punctures: fire. Not sure what he did because I couldn't see from my chair but it involved fire and melting the rubber. Got it fixed and I was on my way. Next day put my chair in a tuk tuk and went out to the killing fields. Gotta go. Cheers,” the blog entry concludes.

Shelley admits that what he likes about the outdoor lifestyle is that it gives him the ability to go off the beaten path. The lack of control and the adrenaline rush that accompanies it appeal to him. And Shelley’s approach to life makes sense when he explains it—to him, challenge is a part of life. But when you meet it head on and do things that are difficult and yet you succeed, well, everything after that is simple according to Shelley.

“Blindness” to Hit the Big Screen this Summer

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:22:00 GMT

Anyone who has read Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago’s novel about a town in which everyone goes blind will be eagerly anticipating its film adaptation, Blindness. The film has been described as a psychological thriller about the fragility of mankind.

Hollywood veterans Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo have signed on for the film, which explores the effects of a widespread epidemic of blindness and how it wreaks havoc on a contemporary city, pushing society to the brink of collapse. Danny Glover and Gabriel Gael Garcia Bernal will also star alongside Sandra Oh, who plays a pivotal role as the Minister of Health deciding how to handle those affected.

In the Saramago novel, only a portion of the people living in the affected town go blind and those who lose their sight are quarantined in an asylum marked by desolate and inhumane conditions. They’re guarded by soldiers who can see but do also eventually lose their sight. Early indications, however, imply that in the movie version of the story, Blindness, the entire city will be walled off from the rest of the world in an attempt to keep the blindness from spreading.

The trailer for Blindness was released April 7, 2008. The 90-second teaser from Miramax Films kicks off with the incessant beeping of a digital alarm clock. It continues as viewers watch Moore and Ruffalo, who are married, wake up in the bed they share and prepare to begin their morning. The two seem to go about their business normally, making coffee and getting ready in the bathroom but the easy, breezy a.m. routine is interrupted when Ruffalo realizes his sight is getting blurry.

Viewers who watch the trailer in its entirety will be able to intuit that the blindness, described as “an unexplained event,” has swept a large area and at least one city affected has become little more than a ghost town. The twist, however, is that Moore’s character will remain unaffected by the virus that causes the rest of the people in her town to lose their sight. She is then forced to pretend in the new society in which she’s living.

When Entertainment Weekly asked Moore about the project she said only that, “It’s a beautiful, beautiful story. Not a comedy.”

Blindness, thus far, is being compared to Children of Men in terms of style and tone.

Don McKellar (The Red Violin) wrote the screenplay; Brazilian Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener and City of God) directs. Meirelles shot the film last summer in Canada and documented much of the process in 13 blog entries (written in Portuguese). In one, Meirelles writes about the process of whittling his movie from two hours and 40 minutes down to two hours flat, so as not to “waste so much of the viewers’ precious time.”

Of his leading lady, Meirelles says “We used a trick of the trade which served as a bulletproof vest, a solution which can never disappoint you: Julianne Moore. The scene sucks and nothing else works? Cut to a close-up of Julianne Moore’s face and stay there. Checkmate.”

Beautiful and talented as Moore is, many within the disability community had looked forward to the fact that the project was a natural one in which some blind actors could have been involved. At the very least, many hoped that the non-disabled stars hired, including Ruffalo (who, in 2000, suffered temporary paralysis after surviving a brain tumor), might advocate for struggling disabled actors. While the anticipation of an interesting and beautifully-shot film still lingers, with the announcement of the cast and premiere of the trailer, any lingering hope for seeing disabled characters hit the big screen in Blindness appears to have gone dark.

Expected release date: August 8, 2008.

One Woman's Mission to Include Performers With Disabilities in Film and Television

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:19:00 GMT

The moment you start talking with film, television and theatre actress Diana Elizabeth Jordan, her positive spirit is infectious. She makes you a believer that good things are happening all the time.

"If you believe in something, everything is possible. Look at how far performers with disabilities have come. We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," Jordan says, "but I don't look back. You can choose to sit around and be frustrated, but I choose to focus on where we need to go. That's what motivates me."

In fact, Jordan has been motivated to reach her dreams her entire life. Born with cerebral palsy, she had a love of acting since childhood. After earning a bachelor's degree in Theatre and Media Arts from the University of Kansas, she began her acting career in Chicago where theatre offered opportunity. Her love of the theatre grew.

"I never wanted to sit around and say 'What if? What if I had gone to Los Angeles?' Life is not about regrets. So, I applied to the California State University at Long Beach to further my education and have another tool so I could teach while being closer to Los Angeles," Jordan explains humbly, "I was accepted into the program."

She not only was accepted, but she made history when she became the first actor with a disability to obtain a Masters of Fine Arts degree at Long Beach.

In 1999, she accepted a position at Performing Arts Studio West, which provides professional hands-on training, career management, and on location support for performers with disabilities.

"Diana has worked with us for nine years. She was extremely important in the very early stages of what we were creating," says John Paizis, Performing Arts Studio West Founder and Director. "As an acting instructor and on-set coach, she provides a tremendous amount of insight as she understands the challenges and helps performers work through them. She has been instrumental in getting our actors prepared."

While she sees her work as part of a team effort, Jordan has probably helped hundreds of students who have taken classes at Performing Arts Studio West over the years. But, her own dreams continue as she's performed on the WB's 7th Heaven, in several independent films, and on stage in many productions including The Glass Menagerie at the Steppenwolf Theatre.

Jordan has had an especially warm relationship with the critically acclaimed Cornerstone Theater in Los Angeles as she prepares to perform in her fourth show with the company.

"Cornerstone is dedicated to diversity. I performed in my first show with them while I was in graduate school. I'll never forget that call," Jordan remembers. "They worked around my graduation and finals schedule. They were very generous."

Jordan is now rehearsing for another Cornerstone show that features characters with disabilities.

"Playwright Julie Marie Myatt wrote a part with me in mind for 'Someday.' An ensemble piece, it's about a single woman with cerebral palsy who fights to adopt an abandoned baby, while a middle-class couple struggles to conceive. It's a universal story and Julie understands that. The fact that a playwright thought enough of me to develop something with me in mind is amazing," Jordan credits. "The majority of the stories in the disabled community are also stories that are universal. We get married and divorced; we have hopes and dreams; we have children; we deal with families; and we live life. My disability is a part of who I am, but it doesn't define me."

In writing the part of a woman with disabilities, Myatt embraced the character's added dimensions as she conducted research for the play.

"Upon meeting Diana in the Cornerstone interviews, I found her honesty about her life and desires for motherhood very engaging and compelling. I was moved. And, I feel motherhood and disability are so rarely talked about in the conversation about reproductive rights. It is certainly, rarely if ever, talked about on stage. It's high time to talk about it," Myatt reinforces. "Diana brings the same depth and honesty in talking about her own life to her acting, and I felt I wanted that lovely quality and voice at the heart of this play."

As a member of the Screen Actors Guild Performers With Disabilities Committee, Jordan envisions an inclusive environment in the entertainment industry.

"I want to create opportunities for other performers with disabilities. We need to see diversity. We need to see people who are wheelchair users. We need to see people with cerebral palsy and people with Down syndrome. I want our voices to be heard," Jordan emphasizes. "This is about authenticity and equal opportunity. The doors are starting to open and Hollywood is slowly changing. We do have great success stories. Actor Robert David Hall is a great example. On 'CSI,' his character is part of society, he's a coroner, while the disability is just incidental."

Jordan makes a point to find acting opportunities. She is currently appearing in an original series for the Internet "Hollywood Acting Class," created by John Walcutt, produced by Fabiola Prieto, and executive produced by K.J. Bowling. She appears in the upcoming film Rule of Three, written by Rhoda and Eric Shapiro, directed by Eric Shapiro, and scheduled to premiere at Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors at the LA Convention Center April 25 - 27. She also performs in the soon-to-be-released film The Young and Evil, written and directed by Julian Breece.

Throughout her life, Jordan has used her enviable ability to set goals and achieve them. Of course, every time she reaches a goal, she sets the next bar higher.

"I would love to make a living as an actress and teach night classes. My long-term goals are to work in more film and television projects. Theatre is a great avenue as it offers opportunity to create a recognition of our universal talents and abilities," Jordan notes, "but I believe there's more change ahead. I'm a positive thinker who is very blessed and I find a way to focus on my blessings each and every day. But, this is a team effort and our work has just begun."

For more information on Diana Elizabeth Jordan, visit www.DianaElizabethJordan.com.

To view the online series "Hollywood Acting Class," visit www.tooniceguysproductions.com/hollywoodactingclass. Jordan appears in episodes 1, 5, 6 and 10.

For information on Performing Arts Studio West, visit www.PAStudioWest.com.

Someday will be performed at The Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, from May 29 – June 22, 2008. For more information, visit www.CornerstoneTheater.org.com.

Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors at the Los Angeles Convention Center will be held April 25 - 27, for more information visit, www.www.fangoria.com.

To read about other Performers with Disabilities, visit www.PerformersWithDisabilities.com.

“The Keys to the House” Will Work Its Way Into Your Heart

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:50:00 GMT

“Prepare yourself for suffering if you intend to be close to him.” Those are the heart-wrenching yet honest words the mother of a severely disabled young woman speaks to a young appliance repairman, Gianni (Kim Rossi Stuart), in the Italian film Le Chiavi Di Casa (“The Keys to The House”). When the mother of his own disabled son Paolo (Andrea Rossi), died, Gianni had abandoned the boy, leaving him to be raised by relatives.

When the boy turns 15, however, his uncle is led to believe that entrusting Paolo to the care of his birth father may help him overcome some of his disability. The movie opens with a very hesitant Gianni (now re-married and with a new child) meeting Paolo for the first time. The two embark on a train ride to Berlin, where Paolo will undergo rehabilitative therapies and treatment in a hospital.

During that time, Gianni tries to work through what his son means to him, what he wants for their future, and what—if anything—he owes the disabled young man. At first Paolo is hesitant to let the stranger help him in any way, but Gianni tries to assume the role of caregiver. Very gradually the father and son begin to learn about each other.

At the hospital in Germany, Gianni helps Paolo walk and washes him. But the boy is uneasy about having his father witness certain procedures. And it isn’t until Gianni sees Paolo struggle through therapy—walking laboriously back and forth—that Gianni realizes his son’s own strength. It’s at that moment in the film when Gianni sees his son as a real person, one capable of receiving and giving affection, as well as experiencing pain.

But The Keys to the House isn’t overly sentimental even for a moment. At the hospital, Gianni meets Nicole (Charlotte Rampling), a French woman who has for 20 years been devoted to tending to her severely physically disabled daughter Nadine (Alla Faerovich). Nicole is brutally honest with Gianni, and a secret she reveals shocks him.

Nicole shares with Gianni the reality of parenting a challenged child and it’s Nicole who truly makes him remorseful about his actions and moves him toward true love. She even motivates him to take matters into his own hands and have Paolo released from the hospital.

Gianni ends up surprising his son with a trip to Norway, where they plan to meet the pen pal whose photo Paolo has fallen in love with. They never meet the girl but the road trip gives Gianni time to accept his responsibility. On the journey back, father and son come to see the truth about their relationship (the ending is far too beautiful for me to spoil it with any more information).

Award-winning filmmaker Gianni Amelio directs the drama inspired by the novel Born Twice. Amelio delicately and courageously addresses a subject that might make viewers uncomfortable but ultimately rewards them with one of the most tender love stories put to film. The issues of fatherhood, obligation, disability, and love are all artistically intertwined within the film, and Amelio does it without turning The Keys to the House into the typical Hollywood tear-jerker. In fact, this is one film that completely lacks hysterics or blatant reaching out for emotion, and instead calmly and gently reveals its story.

Wounded Marines Take "Action"

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:08:00 GMT

More than 8,000 wounded Marines have returned from the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. They face daunting challenges as they journey down the road to recovery. Many have been living in military hospitals for years and lack the professional skills necessary to pursue an alternative career when they do leave hospitals.

As the number of wounded grows, so does the need for programs that assist them beyond their release from duties and their in-hospital care. That’s where the Wounded Marine Careers Foundation comes in. This specialized vocational school is a place where 30 film industry professionals share their video and photojournalism expertise with participating wounded Marines.

Through the 10-week apprenticeship program, the Marines learn skills that will help them rebuild their lives and find careers outside of the military. And as they learn the art and craft of visual storytelling, many have found the new skill has not only enhanced their resumes greatly but is also a therapeutic outlet through which they can begin to heal emotionally.

According to a story that ran in The New York Times in early February of this year, the film program is the brainchild of Kevin Lombard, an Emmy-winning cinematographer and documentary filmmaker, and his wife Judith Ann Paixao, who has assisted in his productions. A friend with ties to the Marines suggested that Lombard make a documentary about the wounded, but Lombard was struck with another idea. “Why not give these Marines the tools to tell their own stories?” he wondered.

One of the foundation’s missions is to provide wounded Marines with new and marketable professional skills for careers in media following their rehabilitation. Unlike many training centers, however, the film studies do more than instill the disabled veterans with film, video, sound design, graphics, and photojournalism skills. It also arms them with a vehicle that enables and empowers them to tell the world about what they’ve seen and been through in the course of duty.

Ranging in age from 20 to 40, the participants’ injuries are as varied as their backgrounds. One Marine has a shoulder largely damaged by rifle fire while another walks with the help of a prosthetic limb. Yet another approaches video and still cameras in a new way due to his severely reduced vision (the result of a grenade that hit his tank).

Among the veterans enrolled is a 22-year-old former Marine lance corporal named Brent Callender. Callender was shot by a sniper and was then ejected from a vehicle leaving him with a broken spine, pelvis, and kneecaps. The program helped him overcome some of the despair he felt about his injuries and his future.

Ultimately, the program is a viable way to help wounded service members navigate the transitional life phase marked by injury-induced physical and mental challenges. And the Marines participating are successful in achieving that goal as they apply the same discipline and resolve that assisted them in carrying out their military missions to their classroom efforts.

Membership in a production crew union is also a tangible benefit of the program. It’s a path to a dream that includes living and thriving with disabilities. The fact that some Hollywood producers are already calling on the students for services doesn’t hurt either.

The inaugural program’s $2 million price tag was largely funded by foundations and private donors. The program’s founders hope to find the funding to see it continue. And next time around, in addition to veterans whose war injuries forced them to retire, the Marine Corps plans to allow active-duty wounded Marines to enroll as well.