National Film Festival Celebrates our Differences
Film stars and advocates to visit for ReelAbilities: Cincinnati Film Festival this March
Premiere Night
Premiere Night for ReelAbilities: Cincinnati will take place at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on March 9th.
Cincinnati, Ohio – January 28, 2013 – Founded in 2007 in New York, ReelAbilities is the largest national film festival dedicated to sharing the stories, lives and art of people with disabilities. Local nonprofit agencies Visionaries + Voices (V+V) and Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled (LADD) will be presenting the festival for its second appearance in Cincinnati, with over 17 screenings taking place throughout the city. For a complete list of films, a full schedule of screenings and special events is available at www.cincyra.org.
Kurt Yeager
Kurt Yeager will be taking part in the Festival Premiere Night and promotion
The red carpet premiere night on March 9th features television and film star (Sons of Anarchy), pro-athlete and model Kurt Yaeger, for the Cincinnati Premiere of Shameless: The Art of Disability. The night will also include a keynote address from one of the film’s stars, internationally recognized speaker and humorist, David Roche; as well as dinner and a high energy After Party featuring music by the Naked Karate Girls. Stars and directors of the films featured in the festival will also be on hand, including local paralympian April Kerley and the Renaud Brothers, who respectively appear in and direct the film Warrior Champions: from Baghdad to Beijing. Larry Bissonette, star of Wretches and Jabberers will also be in attendance.
Closing night will feature the film Outsider: The Life and Art of Judith Scott. Expert panelists and discussion sessions follow each screening, offering audiences the opportunity to ask questions and engage in important dialogues on the issues addressed in these films – topics such as disability and relationships, representations of people with disability in the arts and media, issues faced by veterans with disabilities, and bullying.
Video still
Check out the ReelAbilities: Cincinnati trailer
In conjunction with the film festival, a local public Service Announcement campaign, featuring the festival’s theme, “Different, Like You” includes videos and print advertisements where local celebrities and non-celebrities alike talk about what makes them “different”. Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell shares that he is color blind. Local actor and double-amputee John Lawson points out that he is also a pilot. Others share unique quirks and traits that they embrace. It is hoped that this campaign will not only help sell tickets, but more importantly will help promote the unifying element of the festival — reminding us that we are all different, and can embrace our uniqueness.
The proceeds from the week-long festival will benefit several nonprofit agencies in the area serving people with disabilities. These include LADD, V+V, the Autism Society, Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati, Paralyzed Veterans Racing, Greater Cincinnati Down Syndrome Association, and Hamilton County Developmental Disability Services, among others.
ReelAbilites: Cincinnati Disabilities Film Festival will be taking place March 9th through March 16th in 2013. For more information on the festival, visit www.reelabilities.org or visit the ReelAbilities: Cincinnati Disabilities Film Festival Facebook page.
About ReelAbilities: Cincinannati Disabilities Film Festival
Founded in New York four years ago, ReelAbilities is the largest national film festival dedicated to sharing the stories, lives and art of people with disabilities. The films consist of over 70 jury selected, award winning pieces from around the world.
The 2nd Annual ReelAbilities: Cincinnati Film Festival will be taking place in Cincinnati March 9-March 16, 2013. Hosted by local agencies Visionaries + Voices and LADD, this national film festival will be held in theatres and locations across Greater Cincinnati including the Cincinnati Art Museum, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Contemporary Arts Center, and the Esquire and Kenwood Theatres. Over 17 screening events take place in Cincinnati throughout the festival.
Visionaries + Voices
Christa Zielke
Marketing Director
[email protected]
Phone: 513.652.4552
www.visionariesandvoices.com
LADD
Susan Brownknight
Director, Development and Public Relations
[email protected]
Phone: 513.348.5752
www.laddinc.org