Special needs shorts
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- DirectorAssel Abu Hjoul26 years old deaf-mute who also become paraplegic at the age of 12, later joins the World Swimming Championship along with the support of his father, twin brother and coach.
- DirectorSixuan RenRJ De Rama is a 45-year-old blind canoe paddler of the Makapo Outrigger Team in Southern California. RJ's vision has been getting worse although the eye cancer was healed. In the darkest time of his life, he met John Chavez and joined Chavez's outrigger canoe paddling team. Paddling has been challenging him and changing his life. RJ says: "Losing my vision makes me more open to challenges."
- DirectorMaciej Adamek
- DirectorMick van HerkStarsLisa ZweermanEmma van de LaarKiki van HerkShort film about two bored young girls with big contrasts to each other, who are philosophizing about dreaming and happiness.
- DirectorGary ThomasStarsKieran BrightRichard EdwardsAnthony StylesWith a story centering on a gay rent boy, a besotted client and a wheelchair - the film seeks to dismiss the stereotypical image surrounding disability and sexuality, and to make a fun and entertaining film.
- DirectorHenry WeintraubStarsLorien EmmerichAbsalom BittnerLloyd KaufmanThe story of a young woman who is run down and kidnapped. Barely alive, she makes her escape. Now, unable to walk and refusing to speak, she goes on a violent campaign of revenge.
- DirectorArma LuxStarsRéjane BajardHeidi Becker-BabelMathis DelpouxA portrait. Ernest Angermüller, a talented young mime artist who became a quadriplegic following an accident, and Roza Misiewicz, a young Polish immigrant working as a carer in France. "Blues" paints a fragmented picture of their desires and dreams as young adults in the making.
- DirectorMonty DobsonStarsDarrell 'Smitty' SmithMerciless Ray MercerMichael SpinksA disabled vet and former Army boxing champion returns to his hometown and founds a no-nonsense gym to rescue at risk youth from the streets. In just six years the gym has produced champion and professional fighters.
- DirectorHan SavelkoelIn the spring of 2018, Nicole and Dave move to a brand new apartment complex with their four young children. They will provide care to nine young adults with disabilities.
- DirectorRocky RomanoStarsDanny CortazzoThe story of one man's dream, the people that helped it become a reality, and the compelling spirit of the community known as Surf City.
- DirectorJohn Paul Seniel
- DirectorKo van Reenen
- DirectorJavier ReynaStarsJulie FrameJason BrownEd MaudlinThe underlying problem in education today, is that try as they may, a student can never fail: HE WILL GRADUATE. The trials and the heartaches of a special education teacher show the ultimate failure and the ultimate victim in today's schools.
- DirectorMirjam BoelsumsLony Scharenborg
- StarsSophie AldredTom BakerColin BakerThe Rani hatches a scheme to trap the incarnations of the Doctor and their various companions in a 20-year time loop in Albert Square.
- DirectorEuros LynStarsChristopher EcclestonBillie PiperDavid TennantRose must learn to accept the Doctor in his new, regenerated form.
- DirectorRichard PlattStarsHugh QuarshieLauren DrummondPaul BradleyCatherine Tate's Nan makes life hard for Holby City surgeons and nurses when she is admitted to one of the hospital's wards.
- DirectorEric GibsonStarsDale BeasleyRendell BryceAmber Dawn LandrumA man with special needs saves his sister from her deranged boyfriend with the help of his cross dressing neighbor.
- DirectorSteve CollinsStarsJohn MerrimanPaul GordonSam EidsonA mysterious visitor needs to come inside. His brother needs to use the bathroom.
- DirectorValentina BernardinoStarsJanna Julian
- DirectorRebecca PalmerStarsErica MartinMatilda WickhamWhen modern witch Diana is visited by her ancestor Beatrix, they have to overcome their defenses and work together to send Beatrix home.
- DirectorNeil ElyLloyd Eyre-MorganStarsGeorge WebsterSam RetfordDavid TagTwo young men form a connection on the swings of their local park.
- DirectorJoe BluhmMichael Joseph McDonaldNick HerdAs the first animated film to star a character with Down syndrome, Freebird tells the coming-of-age story of Jon, a boy with Down Syndrome who learns to navigate the world with a loving mother, an absent father, a classroom bully, and a life-long crush. In just five minutes, we watch 45 years of his life flash by.
- DirectorJulianne NealStarsMario ContrerasJoshua Martin"A Pony and His Boy: The Story of Berry and Josh" shows the power of a pony and the effect that he has had on Josh, an 8-year-old with Down Syndrome. Josh had always been afraid of horses until he met a 28-year-old pony named Berry.
- DirectorJonathan van TullekenStarsZachary BrianPatrick NicholsChildren's play takes a dark turn as two young boys explore a serene island.
- DirectorDwight CoreGeorge IngmireStarsDwight Core Jr.Dwight CoreA short documenting the life of a mentally handicapped boy and a family who struggles to provide what's best for him.
- DirectorKaileigh Brielle MartinStarsAnna MargaretGabriel DouglasLou WegnerA short film that follows the adventures of Eddie Lee, Christi and Jim as they learn the true meaning of friendship and the value that it's really what's inside that counts.
- DirectorErica MilsomStarsKayline GavendaOtto GavendaSofia I. Keenan IlizaliturriSet in the 1960s this is the story of a road trip that changed a family's life forever.
- DirectorYousuf NoumanStarsSherief El DesoukyNahed El SebaïAmr HossamA poor lady decides to enjoy a day out in classy Cairo and have some ice-cream with her son, who suffers from Down syndrome. Instead, she faces a big struggle, however she insists on holding onto happy moments.
- DirectorAlice ElliottStarsDiana BraunKathy ConourTwo remarkable activists model a grand experiment in independent living.
- DirectorAmy FuhrmanStarsSteve QuatmanNo one ever thought that a man with Down Syndrome could fulfill his ambition of becoming a police officer. But when the Police Department in Lima, Ohio made Steve Quatman an honorary officer, he showed the community that dreams can come true.
- DirectorGerardine WurzburgStarsJudy GwazdauskasPeter GwazdauskasPeter Gwazdauskas, a child with Down Syndrome, attends a normal school with regular students. The documentary follows Peter and how much he has improved throughout the school year.
- DirectorSarah R. LotfiStarsDan CheathamConnor LongAlex RiegelmannIn the spring of 1945, the Wehrmacht forces are weary from retreat, while the Allies are closing in. A single Austrian captain attempts to guide what is left of his platoon behind the Soviet lines to surrender to the Americans. They take under their wing a young man with a severe disability. As the loyalty of his men is put to the test, the captain grows closer to the boy who evokes a deep secret from his past in the Third Reich.
- DirectorJill RobertsNatalie Olson, World Silver Medalist and the first Canadian with Down syndrome to earn a black belt in karate, trains for her next big challenge with her coach of over 20 years, Sensei Heather Fidyk.
- DirectorEmile V. SchlesserStarsMaria DragusNico RandelJannik SchümannMax, a young man with Down syndrome, stakes on a superhero identity to muster the courage to profess his love to a childhood friend.
- DirectorAlexandre GinnszStarsStephane GinnszEden RiegelDuo is the story of a boy with Down syndrome who falls in love with a violinist and dreams of becoming her accompanist.
- DirectorDarryl HarveyStarsKayla StewardA young woman is completely stressed out by the media's constant coverage of the corona virus.
- DirectorBo ApostolacheStarsKafi BattersbyTravis DesLaurierXavier EliasNapoleon Perrish, living with bipolar disorder, struggles with mental illness. His day is turned upside down when he is fired from his job for not disclosing his illness. He wanders Orange County, CA all day, trying to figure out a way to break the news to his wife Brenda. Napoleon's mental illness is highlighted by his struggles with depression and mania. During his depressive episodes, he attempts to harm himself when he drives his car into a light pole, pours boiling water on his arm, burns his leg with a hot curling iron and destroys his psychiatrist's office. At the end of his tumultuous day, Napoleon realizes that after every dark night, there's a bright day.
- DirectorMartin SmithStarsJimmy McIntoshA unique point-of-view insight into a day in the life of Jimmy McIntosh, a wheelchair user living with cerebral palsy who on a daily basis fights for the rights of others.
- DirectorAnelisa GarfunkelStarsJay ClarkFrank GarfunkelAura SanchezFor forty years, Frank Garfunkel, taught, fought, and advocated for people with disabilities. He was a leader in the disability rights movement and de-institutionalization. And then, suddenly a catastrophic accident left him the victim, the patient, and ironically, the disabled. One Hundred Steps tells the story of his hospitalization, as he finds himself battling his way through pain, despair, and hospital policy.
- DirectorJody SantosDisability Rights International is the first human rights organization to bring international attention to the millions of children and adults with disabilities locked away in orphanages, psychiatric wards, and other facilities around the world. The organization has conducted investigations in more than three-dozen countries. Their reports have brought world media attention to the rights of people with disabilities. DRI staff have found children tied to their beds and denied medical care and babies rocking back and forth and gouging their eyes due to mind-numbing boredom and neglect. Filmmakers travel with DRI to the Republic of Georgia, where the organization is following up on a report it released in 2013 after a three-year investigation in that country.
- DirectorJohn BirdFollowing a charity called Disability Africa, this documentary follows the lives of disabled children in The Gambia and how they are viewed within society.
- DirectorMazal Ben-YishaiA young director raises crucial questions about the care of her special needs parents.
- DirectorMichael NormandStarsRicky CallanAmanda DohertyZoe EdelmanJoe Smeal, a wheelchair-bound Glaswegian, spends his days in decrepit solitude in the top-floor flat of an East-End tower-block, wheeling himself from his bed to the TV, a can of lager never more than an arm's-reach away. With one answering-machine message he has a chance to change his life. The problem is he has to get to the West- End... today... and there's a bus strike! In this black-comedy, highlighting issues of disability and redemption, and set against the contrasting geography of Glasgow, can Joe wheel himself from one side of the city to the other... even with the help of a blind man!?
- DirectorJordan DinchevStarsPaul RaeAnthony RaeJohn McDonald
- DirectorPaolo GeremeiStarsHavana AlfaranoHavana AlfaranoLorenzo AltavillaSimona can swim, Mirko can run and Diego is a very talented football player. It doesn't matter if they don't know where Brazil is, in 2016 they want to get there. They are determined, strong and stubborn. They are three disabled athletes.
- DirectorArin Paul
- DirectorTristan KolioStarsRyan ElsmoreTristan KolioWe learn through this documentary that all people have ability especially those with disabilities. We learn that despite how hard it may be for one person to experience a disability, this does not change their worth.
- DirectorRiti RamanujachariStarsNethra RamanAmy Ridley"Possibility not Disability" is a short documentary showcasing the abilities of two young women who are commonly labeled by society as people with disabilities. The film also gives an insight into things people with disabilities find annoying or rude and how we as a society need to focus on their abilities rather than their disabilities. Overall, the documentary aims to bring awareness to the achievements and hobbies of individuals, rather than their physical or mental impairments.
- DirectorThea St. OmerDIScerning disABILITY is a documentary film on the elusive notion of disability and the multiple meanings people assign it. Is it a powerful identity we define and embrace...? A negative label thrust upon us?... A social construction meaning everything and yet nothing at all?... With sentiments from noted scholars and everyday people, DIScerning disABILITY forces its viewers to reexamine notions they previously held and thought they understood.
- DirectorJustin DowningStarsAnn HarrisonJohn May
- DirectorShahar ShamayStarsShay-Li HearchEyal Heyne GalliCarmit Mesilati KaplanA comedy-Drama about two mirror characters, who just need someone different in their lives.
- DirectorMarques ChaneyStarsRachel Alana HandlerTiffany-Leigh MoskowThomas RaniszewskiRachel wants to date, but meeting someone new with her body altered by a car accident has proven to be challenging. We follow her journey as she takes one (literal) step at a time into the dating world. This film/video made for the 48 Disability Film Challenge.
- DirectorAmanda HoffmanDan NovakovichStarsMelissa Steele OgusAlex GhenisOlympia SantanaThis 14 minute short documentary features a panel hosted by the Disabled Student Union at University of California Berkeley called "Are Cripples Screwed." In addition to the panel, viewers are introduced to a community of disabled individuals who address misconceptions and stereotypes about sex and disability while sharing stories about their intimate relationships.
- DirectorLaurent BouzereauStarsDavid BoiesWhoopi GoldbergCharles SchwabA discussion of the nature of what dyslexia is, along with descriptions of what it's like living with it and how educators can help assist those with it.
- DirectorMari SandersSince he was a child, Mari Sanders has been in a wheelchair. At school he was told that his dream of becoming a filmmaker was nice, but that he should be more realistic about his future. Now he uses his own story to discuss a broader subject: handicaps and work. '80% Disabled' is a 'feelgood' investigation into society's struggle to deal with differently-abled people. Mari has received state support since his 18th birthday, but he would prefer to be completely independent. He wants to know the possibilities and impossibilities of working with a handicap in a society that is so set on having everyone participate.
- DirectorBernard Devlin
- DirectorNishanth KalidindiA film on the rights of differently abled
- DirectorKen Kebow
- DirectorDean Hagan
- DirectorB. Anne JacksonA video documentary about diving with a disability from both the diver's perspective and the dive team's perspective
- DirectorErnest BowDisabled Warriors. My film is an music video which has black and white photography's of disabled people protesting in London in the 1990's. The protesters are fighting for there Rights
- Easterseals Disability Film Challenge: Home Edition 2.0 empowered filmmakers with or without disabilities to collaborate and tell unique stories, while also providing opportunities for inclusion and representation for the world's largest minority group. This is a collection of the winning films for 2021.
- DirectorDena CurtisStarsDion BeasleyGloria BeasleyJohn Beasley15 year old Dion is profoundly deaf and has muscular dystrophy but his love of dogs and his carer's love have transformed him.
- DirectorLinda D. TaylorChampions Together documentary: Joan Taylor, an Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement Practitioner based in Columbus, Ohio, is the practitioner and subject of the film. Two special needs children, who are her students and their mothers are featured in the documentary: Brentlee, age 6 months, who has a brachial plexus birth injury; and Myka, age 3, who has cerebral palsy. Champions Together is an exploration of how a somatic movement education method can awaken the brain of a special needs child to form new neural pathways, allowing improved physical, emotional and cognitive functioning. The method is backed both by the science of brain plasticity and a somatic movement understanding of how a child teaches themselves how their body works. It is also an amazing human interaction between the practitioner, the special needs child and their parents-requiring patience and openness to new possibilities, instead of simply trying to 'fix' the child. Champions Together was made possible by the support of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, The Ohio State University Program 60, and OSU Department of Theatre, Film and Media Arts.
- DirectorJon AlpertStarsJon AlpertDonna CappellaBenjamin RosloffDifferently abled students create movies in an exchange program between the United States and Russia.
- DirectorGeorge HumphreysStarsDarwin ColeCarrie CopsonLottie CridlandWhen a young boy, Josh, cannot speak or hear he needs to find new ways to communicate.Josh uses post-it notes on benches to talk to the outside world and find his voice.
- DirectorHolger HarrivirtaStarsCarl-Erik CreutzTuire OrriReconstruction and damages of war after the Lapland War.
- DirectorCharles Annenberg WeingartenStarsCharles Annenberg WeingartenGeoffrey BussiereBill CampbellCombat Vets suffering from PTSD participate in a fly fishing workshop hosted by non-profit Sun Valley Adaptive Sports. Explore the connection between nature and healing.
- DirectorGabriel TynerStarsChris WilsonTen years after a train accident derailed his bull-riding career, Chris Wilson returns to the sport a changed man.
- DirectorFaye Carr-WilsonStarsVenus DimiloShort documentary dealing with issues of disability and empowerment through drag performer, Venus Dimilo.
- DirectorRona SofferAt the age of 15 I was involved in a severe car accident; a curious redheaded girl. After the accident, I am still redheaded and still curious, but with disabilities. In this film I pursued the challenge of finding love and sex even though I'm disabled. I was in for some surprises.
- DirectorKath McIntyre
- DirectorNikki FortStarsMarjorie Jackson Nelson
- DirectorJess Wallace
- DirectorCory ReederStarsAlex BaroneMegan ClancyJustin Cowden
- DirectorAnnefleur en Zoë
- Enjoy this documentary featuring Kentucky nonprofits that are making it possible for individuals with disabilities to have the same chance of employment as everyone else. Our coverage begins with Covington's The Point ARC of Northern Kentucky, providing educational, residential, social, and vocational opportunities for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities. We'll also visit Lexington's Opportunity For Work and Learning, which serves to create a world without barriers to employment. Hosted by Brian Simmons, we'll interview folks at the Dress For Success Fashion Show Fundraiser and learn more about what these programs are doing for the community by breaking down these barriers to employment.
- DirectorBenjamin SnowStarsBenjamin SnowFor many years, Hollywood movies have perpetuated the pity-filled stereotype that characters who have disabilities are unproductive losers with lousy lives. This is dangerously hurtful misinformation to society - because after the on-screen make-believe is over, the audience often has pity for people with disabilities and mistakenly believes that the most important thing in their lives is the disability (all based on the impression they've retained after seeing that "tragic" or "inspirational" story not too long ago). In the 60-second style of a film critic, a karate-wielding college journalism student who actually uses a wheelchair admonishes this worn-out characterization. Using real-life examples, he deftly illustrates how "I have a disability, and my life is *nothing* like the Hollywood stereotype" and votes THUMBS DOWN TO PITY toward people with disabilities.
- DirectorSergio PonzioOctober 2005. Rione Monti, Downtown Rome. A group of young people with disabilities contact Detour, a small fierce underground Art-house cinema venue, in order to organize a series of afternoon screenings for their users with disabilities. Accidentally, it turns out that one of the first film in the program, "La Banda degli Onesti" (The Band of Honest Men, 1956) starring two well-known Italian comedians, Totò and Peppino, was located around the cinema venue, in the heart of Monti, an historical area of Rome in the process of rapid gentrification. The group of girls and boys with disabilities, in accordance with the Detour film-activists, decide to set out through the old alleys in search of the film's locations, so that they learn the history of this neighborhood, its changes and the problems of today through the stories of those who live and those who work there.
- DirectorZoi FloroszStarsVoros KrisztianAndrea MeszarosThe Blue Bird Foundation in Hungary took on an amazing mission to create a great example of how to integrate handicapped, disabled and underprivileged people into successfully working in a restaurant, also to be able to work in any work flow. They are creating the blueprint for the system aiming to extend the concept all over the world. - - Director/Producer - Zoi Florosz - - Musical arrangement/recording - Ali Kerekes - - - Special thanks to Andrea Meszaros - Director/Founder of Blue Bird Foundation, also to all the workers of the "Tasty Family" restaurant.
- DirectorDimitar NazarovA story about motivation, determination and teamwork which transcend the physical limitations of the body. The film is a chronicle of an event which ends up being more than the sum of its parts. It is the story of an organisation determined to bring sports to kids with special needs. Through various challenges and setbacks the kids and their trainers manage to come together as a team and take part in the Sofia marathon in order to raise funds for specialized equipment. Doing so they also spread an all important message about the necessity of sport activities and how they bring people together as equals.
- DirectorLeslie FanelliStarsWilliam DembaughSean DineenFinn McNanyThis short features breathtaking, time-travel panoramas of New York City's splendid Central Park, designed by the genius, nineteenth century landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. Since the 1800s, Central Park has been an outdoor home to a plethora of animals, as well as billions of people of all races, colors, nationalities, abilities and disabilities - anyone who simply enjoys its beauty. All take pleasure in this remarkable, man-made topography, created by Olmsted with his landscape partner, Calvert Vaux. Indeed, the remarkable, pastoral and picturesque beauty is most splendidly presented. The short also showcases original musical theatre sung by a lyric tenor with symphonic accompaniment and American Sign Language. Honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, it emanates from an original Off Broadway production of Theatre in Motion of the New York City/New Jersey area, featuring creative and performing artists with and without disabilities.
- DirectorMilica BatricevicMilan MilinNenad TeofilovicThe movie ''More Than Art'' tells a story about the members of the Association '' We live together" for persons with disabilities. It follows their daily activities and engaging participation in workshops in and outside the association, in effort to create the space for articulating their creativity, freedom and authenticity through various forms of art.
- DirectorHarvey OvshinskyA nine year old girl with cerebral palsy struggles to find her voice with the help of a Michigan State University computer science professor.
- DirectorRubén Mateo-RomeroStarsDomingo Pisón
- DirectorCory ReederStarsvernon taylor IIIDiana Elizabeth JordanJake StewardA buddy comedy about two mismatched female hitmen who find common ground when they're faced with a hostage who tries to ally himself as a supporter of the #TimesUp movement.
- DirectorJennifer Lyons-Reid
- DirectorMarcie SmolinStarsCale FerrinMarcie Smolin