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

november

20nov1:00 pm3:00 pmReelAbilities Shorts Festival featuring...

Event Details

AIMEE VICTORIA

DIRECTED BY CHRYSTEE PHARRIS

11 Min | American Sign Language (ASL) | USA | | Narrative

Short

City Premiere

On the day of their anniversary, a couple, separated by lockdown, finds their relationship tested. A story about the power of love in the toughest of times. In partnership with AMC Network.

DWARFO-PSYCHOSIS

DIRECTED BY MARIA DIDOMENICO

5 Min | English | USA | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

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

As fraternal twins Peter and Pat celebrate their 40th birthday, a huge twist is revealed. In partnership with AMC Network.

HOLD ON TO ME

DIRECTED BY LUCA ARCIDIACONO

20 Min | Italian | Italy | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

City Premiere

Filippo did not expect to have to spend the day with Alice, a charming young girl with Down syndrome he meets on a train. On their journey, an unexpected bond forms between the two. In partnership with AMC Network.

BORDERLINE COFFEE

DIRECTED BY JEFF AYARS

10 Min | English | USA | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

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

A young woman overtaken by anxiety battles through her inner thoughts when she sets out to accomplish what would seem to be a simple task: a cup of coffee. In partnership with AMC Network.

THE MULTI

DIRECTED BY STORM SMITH, NATASHA OFILI

18 Min | English, American Sign Language (ASL) | USA | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

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

An isolated deaf woman fights to maintain control when past demons threaten to destroy the world of order she has built. In partnership with AMC Network. Content Warning: Implied abuse, psychological trauma

SIGNS AND GESTURES

DIRECTED BY ITANDEHUI JANSEN

12 Min | English, American Sign Language (ASL) | UK | | Narrative

Short | Open Captions | Audio Description

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

Clara, a blind florist, has been chatting with Simon through a dating app. They arrange to meet in person. However, during their first date, an unexpected misunderstanding arises. 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

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

film still of light-skinned blonde woman with one typical arm and one arm missing from the elbow down in a pink cropped top with red roses walking down the street with stores and palm trees in the background

Single

SYNOPSIS: Kim, who was born with one arm, gets set up on a blind date. When she finally meets Jake, she quickly realizes he also has a physical disability, and she is pissed. An unapologetic perspective on the complexities of being disabled and dating. CREDITS: Directed by Ashley Eakin Title:SingleCategory:ShortGenre:Rom-ComRunning Time:14 minutesCountry:United StatesYear:2020Language:English

promotional image for Revel in Your Body

Meeting Intersectional Disability Aesthetics, Politics, and Culture

The newly re-emerging disability arts movement affirms that disability is more than the medicalized understanding of impairment as a deficit. This talk places creative access and intersectional disability aesthetics, culture, and politics at the heart of the creative process. Come meet Kinetic Light. Alice Sheppard is an emerging and Bessie award-winning choreographer, Sheppard creates movement that […]

angled photograph of building with small irregularly arranged windows. Brutus buckeye statue in the foreground with back to viewer

Out in the Open

DIRECTED BY JENNA FRIEL AND JOHNNY ELDER 17 Min | English | U.S.A. | | Documentary Short | Open Captions City Premiere A look at the deteriorating mental health of the student body and the resources available on campus at the Ohio State University.

light skinned man in glasses and a black long-sleeved shirt sitting at a table drawing a large bright artwork with chalk pastels

Don’t Foil My Plans

ReelAbilities Film Festival Columbus proudly presents: Don’t Foil My Plans About the Film For the past five years, award-winning director Ben Stamper has been following the life and work of Justin Canha, a New Jersey-based artist in his mid-twenties whose diagnosis places him in the middle of the autism spectrum. Justin’s goal is to move […]

Endless Abilities

In the spring of 2012, four best friends drove across the country in search of adaptive sports for individuals with physical disabilities, and lived to tell the story in a feature documentary film. From rehabilitation patients to Paralympic athletes, our cameras captured the reality of broken boundaries and common goals among all who are active. We went […]

white woman wearing black and white checkered pants and a black top standing in front of a white graphic wall

Interview with film Producer Salome Chasnoff, Art Tells a Story

We invite you to our Facebook live event, Art Tells a Story, with Code of the Freaks producer and director, Salome Chasnoff on January 14th at 6 PM. Information on how to access this event will be sent with your registration information to the ReelAbilities screening of Code of the Freaks. –About the Film– Taking […]

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.

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 […]

Crutch

Title: Crutch Category: Feature, Documentary Genre: Sport, Skateboarding, Disability, Dance Running Time: 93 minutes Country: U.S.A. Year: 2021 Language: English SYNOPSIS: Crutch chronicles the life of artist Bill Shannon, an internationally renowned breakdancer and skateboarder on crutches, as he uses his performance art skills to shine light on his prowess and power, tearing apart the […]

woman with light skin and blonde hair photographed from the chest up in a black bra top laying on her back with her arms bent above her shoulders

Move Me

DIRECTED BY KELSEY PETERSON, DANIEL KLEIN 81 Min | English | USA | | Documentary Feature | Open Captions | Audio Description City Premiere At 27, dancer Kelsey Peterson dove into Lake Superior and emerged paralyzed. Now, she faces the opportunity to dance again, as she works to redefine who she is and rediscover hope […]