ReelAbilities Film Festival is a film festival and disability which was founded in New York in 2007 and whose format was quickly adapted in other countries. In 2012, the ReelAbilities International program emerged, starting in Cincinnati, Ohio; since then, events have been held in more than 20 cities around the world.
In 2017, with the support of the Fundación Incluyeme, as well as a group of professionals and volunteers from our country, the ReelAbilities Mexico, which aims to disseminate the importance of dignified inclusion for people with disabilities within society. What better than to spread this message through the seventh art?
The celebration will take place at the fourth edition, which will consist of three days in which documentaries, feature films and short films that seek to break down accessibility barriers, explore, debate and celebrate diversity will be screened. In addition, there will be several conferences on inclusion topics.
Below, we tell you everything you need to know about the different activities and projections that will take place.
What will be at ReelAbilities Film Festival, Mexico City 2022?
Thursday, December 1
17:00 to 17:15 – Opening
17:15 to 18:30 – Presentation of the book (In)VISIBLES, by Bárbara Anderson
Author, editor and activist for the rights of people with disabilities, Bárbara Anderson presents her most recent work, in which she exposes the stories of 24 members of the Mexican population who, with conditions of life from birth or acquired, face up to the obstacles present in Mexico for issues of accessibility and inclusion.
It can be seen in person or broadcast on Facebook Live
19:00 to 20:30
Louis’ Shoes (Short film, France, 2020)
Louis is an eight-year-old boy starting at a new school. With the teacher’s help, he prepares to introduce himself to the class by taking off his shoes. He explains that this makes him feel safe and gives the class insight into his inner world, sharing his favorite hobbies as well as the things he fears. This short film is narrated entirely from Louis’s perspective, in an animated style depicting his experience of his world as an autistic person. The film is a valuable resource for discussing autism and how film can be used to tell stories from various perspectives.
The Pink Lagoon (Feature film, Mexico, 2021)
It tells the story of two brothers who are far apart: Arturo, a superficial and vain young man; and Mariana, a talented, creative girl with Down Syndrome. Mariana has a Ballet presentation in the city of Mérida, Yucatán, and she will finally be able to fulfill her dream of being a dancer. She needs her brother to support her and go with her, and thus begins a journey of reconnection and learning. Arturo will question various conventions and decisions that he has made in his life; while Mariana will seek to defend her individuality through dance, breaking with stigmas associated with Down Syndrome. But suddenly, everything gets complicated for Mariana to dance at the event. Will Arturo be able to help her achieve her dream?
20:40 – Conversation with special guests
It can be seen in person or broadcast on Facebook Live.
Friday, December 2, 2022
5:00 p.m. – Lecture: Disability and family, given by Judith Vaillard
It can be seen in person or broadcast on Facebook Live.
18:00 to 19:30
See Through (Short film, USA, 2018)
In the moments after a deaf couple finds out they are going to be parents, a coffee shop rumbles with everything left unsaid.
Only I Can Hear (Documentary, Japan, 2021)
In the American Midwest, three hearing teenagers come of age in the vibrant and noisy deaf community. Searching for a home between two disparate worlds, the young women explore their unique identity as CODAs (Children Of Deaf Adults/Hijas de Adultos Sordos).
20:00 – Conversation with special guests
It can be seen in person or broadcast on Facebook Live
Saturday, December 3, 2022
15:00 to 17:30 – the other tom (Feature film, Mexico, 2022)
Elena is a single mother and depends on social services. Her son, Tom, has behavioral difficulties and is stigmatized at school as a “problem child.” The absence of the father is part of the complicated bond between them. Tom will be diagnosed with “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” and treated for that ailment. However, a freak accident will put her mother on guard against psychiatric medication. Her refusal to continue giving him drugs will cause social services to threaten to withdraw custody.
17:30 to 18:00 – Conversation with special guests
It can be seen in person or broadcast on Facebook Live
18:00 to 19:30
Trying (Short film, Spain, 2021)
Santiago is a father with cerebral palsy that makes it difficult for him to walk. Every day he goes to school to look for his son Diego and they follow the same path back, but today will be different, Diego, already a teenager, and Santiago, who still sees a child in his son, will have a discussion full of truths that hurt and silences that excite.
Fragile on the outside, strong on the inside (Documentary, Mexico, 2012)
Documentary that narrates the life, dreams and challenges of four people with four different disabilities.
20:30 – Presentation of the CEPAIES AC Sign Language Choir
It can be seen in person or broadcast on Facebook Live
Where and when?
ReelAbilities Film Festival, Mexico City 2022, will take place from December 1 to 3, at the Cine Lido, at the Rosario Castellanos Bookstore at Av. Tamaulipas 202, in the Hipódromo Condesa neighborhood.
Note: Admission is FREE.
You can follow ReelAbilities on Facebook and Twitter.
Jose Roberto Landaverde Movie buff and music lover. I am fascinated by writing, listening, reading and commenting on everything related to the seventh art. I’m a fan of Rocky and Back to the Future and obviously one day I’ll climb the “Philly Steps” and drive a DeLorean. Faithful believer that cinema is the best teleportation machine, and also that on the big screen we can all see ourselves represented. I constantly, like Scott Pilgrim, ask myself: “Does bread make you fat?”