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

Bedlam

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, RAFF-Cleveland and RAFF-Columbus are teaming up for a virtual screening and a live virtual discussion on the award-winning documentary film, BEDLAM. FILM SYNOPSIS: BEDLAM is a feature-length documentary that addresses the national crisis and criminalization of the mentally ill, its connection between hundreds of thousands of […]

No Ordinary Hero: The Super Deafy Movie

Join us Wednesday, October 11th for a screening of the film No Ordinary Hero: The Super Deafy Movie. A deaf actor playing a superhero on a television show looks beyond his cape to help a deaf boy believe in himself. 6pm Happy Hour, Torpedo Room 7pm Film & Panel Discussion Professor Bill Bauer from Marietta […]

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 […]

man in cowboy hat playing guitar on stage with drum kit in background

Blue Spectrum Virtual Concert

In conjunction with the film, ReelAbilities is thrilled to bring you a live concert from Columbus band, Blue Spectrum. Being livestreamed from the Lazy Chameleon 4028 Presidential Pkwy Powell, Oh 43065. Tune in on the ReelAbilities Columbus Facebook page on June 17, at 7PM. About the Band It was always Zayne Harshaw’s dream to have […]

Animated Shorts Festival in Two Parts

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.

man in white long sleeve shirt and grey brimmed hat standing with back to camera in front of a wall with layers of stickers and posters and graffiti

No Bone: Scars of Survival

DIRECTED BY MARC SCHILLER 90 Min | English | USA | | Documentary Feature City Premiere Marc Schiller, regarded as a communications expert with a long career promoting street art, music, and film, suffers a stroke that leaves him with aphasia and some cognitive deficits. With the help of family, Marc chronicles his career in […]

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: Single Category: Short Genre: Rom-Com […]

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 […]

film stills from five short films on a black background

ReelAbilities Columbus Presents: An Evening of Short Films

ReelAbilities Film Festival Columbus proudly presents: An Evening of Short Films –About the Films– Deaf Love — On a journey to meet the woman he loves, Paolo ends up on a wild and mysterious island. Directed by Michele Bertini Malgarini, 15 min Angel’s Mirror — A group of young boys are fascinated by a girl who spends her days […]