ReelAbilities Film Festival Columbus

ReelAbilities Film Festival Columbus

ReelAbilities is a groundbreaking film festival that promotes awareness and appreciation of lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different abilities, all through the easily accessible art form of film.

Click Here to Visit Us @ ReelAbilities International

Upcoming Films

january

22jan1:00 pm2:30 pmIMPERFECT

february

19feb1:00 pm3:00 pmAnimated Shorts Festival in Two Parts

Event Details

Children’s Festival Line-Up

WAWEL DRAGON

DIRECTED BY CAMERON CARR

6 Min | English | UK | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

An animated retelling of the classic Polish folktale by Cameron Carr (Strange), Wawel Dragon features a dragon, knights, and the unexpected heroism of a simple shoemaker. Supported by AMC Network. Content Warning: Cartoon violence

A CRITTER FABLE

DIRECTED BY GRACE FISHER

8 Min | English | USA | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere

A caterpillar who can’t become a butterfly discovers he can still add color to the world in his own special ways. Featuring music and artwork by Amazing Grace star Grace Fisher, with critters created by children with disabilities in Santa Barbara. Supported by AMC Network.

girls with blonde curly hair facing a small in process landscape painting on an easel on her desk with paints and brushes. She is holding a brush in her mouth to paint

A MORNING WITH AROHA

DIRECTED BY NICHOLAS RIINI

11 Min | English | New Zealand | | Narrative

Short

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

Aroha, an imaginative young girl with Down syndrome, sets out to share her creativity with her neighbors. In partnership with AMC Network.

close up of light skinned girl with Down syndrome looking up and to the right. The left side of her face is shaded and she has a thoughtful expression

LOUIS’ SHOES

DIRECTED BY THÉO JAMIN, KAYU LEUNG, MARION PHILIPPE, JEAN-GÉRAUD BLANC

5 Min | French | France | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

Louis, an 8-and-a-half year old autistic boy, introduces himself at his new school in this imaginative tale about difference and acceptance. Supported by AMC Network.

FREEBIRD

DIRECTED BY MICHAEL JOSEPH MCDONALD, JOE BLUHM

5 Min | English | Canada | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

A boy with Down Syndrome learns to navigate the world with a loving mother, an absent father, a classroom bully, and a life-long crush. In partnership with AMC Network.

Animated Shorts

THE BODY IS A HOUSE OF FAMILIAR ROOMS

DIRECTED BY ELOISE SHERRID, LAURYN WELCH

10 Min | English | USA | | Documentary

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

A magical-realist exploration of the life of a man with chronic illness through footage and paintings. In partnership with AMC Network.

LOCKDOWN TALE

DIRECTED BY CAMERON CARR, MARIE TRUDOLUBOVA

6 Min | English | UK | | Documentary

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of Wawel Dragon. When the pandemic forces his university’s studios to shut down, animation student Cameron Carr sets to work creating his very own studio in his bedroom. Supported by AMC Network.

PROSOPAGNOSIA

DIRECTED BY STEVEN FRASER

10 Min | English | UK | | Documentary

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

Unraveling sketchbooks, photographs and diaries with unique animation, Prosopagnosia explores what it means to live with face-blindness and autism, and investigates concepts of intimacy, communication and memory. Supported by AMC Network.

BEAUTIFUL

DIRECTED BY MULAN FU

6 Min | Chinese | USA | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere | Audio Description produced by: AMC Network | Open Captions produced by: AMC Network

A teenage girl undergoes a transformative growth as she witnesses her mother’s fight against breast cancer. In partnership with AMC Network.

Time

(Sunday) 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location

Wexner Center for the Arts

1871 N High St

Learn More

Calendar GoogleCal

march

26mar1:00 pm3:00 pmNo Bone: Scars of Survival

april

30apr1:00 pm3:00 pmMove Me

Past Films

movie poster with title ESPECIAL written across the top and with two men sitting facing each other. Both have brown skin and dark hair. The man on the left has Down syndrome and the man on the right does not. They do not have shirts on and are sitting under a rattan-style ceiling light.

The Special

Title:The Special Category:FeatureGenre:Down Syndrome, Visual Arts, RelationshipsRunning Time:91 minutesCountry:VenezuelaYear:2021Language:SpanishSubtitles:English SYNOPSIS: Chuo, a charming young man with Down syndrome, must navigate the challenges of early adulthood as he seeks to build a life of independence from his troubled father. Long separated by an ocean of silence and shame, will the two men be able to build a […]

promotional image for 25 prospect film with man in pink tuxedo jacket and pink top hat

ReelAbilities Columbus Presents: 25 Prospect Street

ReelAbilities Film Festival Columbus proudly presents: 25 Prospect Street –About the Film– 25 Prospect Street – Documentary” is a behind-the-screens look at the struggles and sparkle of the Prospector Theater – a non-profit movie theater with a mission of meaningful employment for people with disabilities. The Theater is the vision of Val, a pink-haired eccentric who […]

Animated Shorts Festival in Two Parts

film still of young African American man dancing in a studio with a mirrored wall.

Jmaxx and the Universal Language

Title: JMaxx and the Universal Language Category: Short, Documentary Genre: Autism, Dance, Hip-Hop Running Time: 13 minutes Country: U.S.A Year: 2019 Language: English SYNOPSIS: Jarell is a teenager with autism who has learned to use hip-hop dance as a means to communicate his true self to the world. CREDITS: Directed by Ryan Mayers PREVIEW:

Mind Over Matter

A young man with Cerebral Palsy overcomes a paralyzed left hand, bullies, and stereotypes, dreaming of becoming a rock guitarist even while told he will never succeed. His dreams become reality as he leads his own band, inspired by the band Korn to express himself through music.

The World is Bright

SYNOPSIS: What would you do if your only child died mysteriously in another country and was buried in your absence? The World Is Bright follows the epic 10-year journey of an elderly Chinese couple searching for the truth behind their son’s death in Canada. What starts out looking like a murder mystery becomes something else […]

linda sibio portrait with two images of her face in front of papers with handwriting on them

Artist Workshop “The Insanity Principles” with Linda Sibio

Taught by painter and performance artist Linda Carmella Sibio, this workshop includes a variety of multilayered psychological techniques, developed by Sibio, tapping into memory, play, and personal narrative as a source for art making.

film still from best summer ever showing students doing a choreographed dance at a school dance with their arm outstretched. Two main characters in the foreground, one is a boy with dark skin and the other is a girl with light skin who is using a wheelchair

Best Summer Ever Virtual Screening

Sage (Shannon DeVido) and Anthony (Rickey Wilson, Jr.) have had the “Best Summer Ever” after falling in love at a dance camp in Vermont. Not expecting to see each other again until the following summer, Sage, by a twist of fate, arrives unexpectedly at the same high school as Anthony. Now faced with the drama […]

man with brown skin pictured from the waist up in a red parka with a grey knit hat standing on a tree lined street looking to the right with a thoughtful expression

Any Given Day

DIRECTED BY MARGARET BYRNE 93 Min | English, Bulgarian | USA | | Documentary Feature | Open Captions | Audio Description City Premiere Filmmaker Margaret Byrne documents the lives of three defendants with mental illness going through a specialized probation program designed to focus on mental health. Byrne’s own mental health condition soon becomes tied […]

promotional image for movie showing vast ocean with small person in foreground

ReelAbilities Columbus & The Vanderelli Room Present: Maricarmen

Maricarmen Graue is a cello player, music teacher, writer, and marathon runner. Blind and living alone, she subverts all expectations. About this event ReelAbilities Film Festival Columbus and The Vanderelli Room Present: “Maricarmen”- an outdoor screening event Bring a blanket, a chair, or your favorite bean bag and join ReelAbilities Columbus, in partnership with The […]