2002 Superfest Winners Celebrate Disability Arts and Innovative Educational Approaches
By Barbara Duncan (bjdnycla@aol.com)
A celebration of achievement in the performing and visual arts and innovative approaches to education about disability issues were the outstanding features of the winning entries in the 2002 Superfest international film and video competition, concluded in early April. Superfest is an annual activity of the Corporation for Disability and Telecommunications (CDT), based in Berkeley. The winning films were screened in Berkeley June 1-2 at La Pena Cultural Center.
Best of Festival and Spirit Award
"Crip Shots," an exuberant and celebratory performance video of six artists with disabilities, won the overall Best of Festival award and in addition, captured the Spirit award for producer/distributor John Killacky of San Francisco. The Spirit award is given in recognition of the involvement of disabled individuals in producing or directing outstanding films. (Information on "Crip Shots" via email: jasonlwc@earthlink.net)
The Arts as Equalizer
Another winning entry illustrating use of the arts as an equal opportunity forum for people with physical or mental disabilities was "Black Light Dreams: 25 Years of the Famous People Players," which won one of the two Awards for Excellence for the Canadian black light theater troupe composed of mentally disabled adults. Barbara Barde and Stuart Goodman of Take 3 Productions in Ontario produced this documentary of how the troupe progressed from a director's daydream to Broadway. (Info: wmccleary@upfront.ca)
Innovative Educational Approaches
Many of this year's successful entries from Europe and throughout North America grappled with how to use video for effective educational outreach about disability issues. "Learning to Act in Partnership: Women with Disabilities Speak to Health," won the other Award for Excellence for producer Carol Gill, Ph.D. of the Chicago based Health Resource Center for Women with Disabilities. Distributed by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, this video taps a diverse group of disabled women to suggest ways the health & medical system could better address their needs. (Info: kkirschner@rehabchicago.org)
Achievement Awards
Similarly, the three Awards for Achievement were earned by outstanding films exploring wider public awareness of disability issues. Perhaps the most poignant of the winning entries, "Refrigerator Mothers," is an indictment of the rehabilitation field for embracing without evidence Dr. Bruno Bettleheim's theory that the cause of childhood autism is cold, detached, middle-class mothers. Produced by J.J. Hanley of Kartemquin Educational Films, the documentary features interviews of the embattled mothers subjected to this belief from the 1950s to the 1970s, and one of the most memorable is an African-American who was told her son couldn't possibly be autistic since their family didn't fit the profile. (Info: jjh@megsinet.net)
"Explore Your Future - Job Categories," uses video in an innovative and entertaining way to explore with deaf high school students and young adults how to envision their future jobs and careers. Produced by the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York, this informative video showcases a wide variety of deaf professionals, obviously proud to explain their careers and the skills required in their work environments. (Info: dkcntv@rit.edu)
"Losing It" is a four continents exploration of the lives of selected disabled individuals, their aspirations and their realities, as conceived by veteran producer/director Sharon Greytak of New York. Distributed by The Cinema Guild in Manhattan, this evocative cinematic voyage takes the viewer to Siberia, Hong Kong, Italy, Brazil and back to Manhattan, using the theme of social acceptance as its central inquiry. See separate review of this film in this issue of Disability World. (Info: gcrowdus@cinemaguild.com)
Merit Awards
Rounding out the 2002 Festival were five films of exceptional merit from England, Canada and the USA:
"Travelling," produced by Shoot Your Mouth Off of England, is a satirical dramatization of obstacles encountered by five friends with disabilities on their way to a party. (Info: ksheader_caz@hotmail.com)
"Our Own Best Advocates: Breast Health for Women with Disabilities," produced by Jennifer Crescenzo and Betty Cox, is a fact-filled educational video made by the late Dr. Sandra Wellner, a disabled physician advocate. (Info: Kristin-sage@hotmail.com)
"Still Life Giving," produced by Nora Arajs of Canada, explains the tradition of "Outsider Art" by showing the work of and interviews with a variety of artists, some of whom have disabilities. (Info: nora@acrossborders.com)
"Meet Us Where We Are," produced by Robyn Mercurio of Washington, D.C., is a training video for disability advocates to increase awareness about services available for disabled victims of crime. (Info: Kristin-sage@hotmail.com)
"Moving On - Show #1," produced by Doug Caldwell and distributed by CBC Television, is an example of Canada's half-hour television program, utilizing a magazine format to report on disabled individuals gaining independence in the workplace, relationships, technology, arts and entertainment, and sports and recreation. (Info: doug_Caldwell@cbc.ca)
Access Awards
Finally, Access Awards for providing excellence in subtitling and/or video description, were given to: "Visual Music: Expanding on Closed Caption Television," produced by Gregg Brokaw of Chicago (Info: gregg@brokawmotion.com); and "Meet Us Where We Are," as described above.
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