The 18th annual Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival Oct 15-16, 2021. Lost Reel Short Film Showcase Aug. 16-Sept. 15, 2021.

Big Announcements for Cinema Touching Disability

October is on the horizon, and that means the 18th annual Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival is almost here! Read on for some logistical updates, plus announcements of the two widely acclaimed documentaries we're bringing to this year's Fest!

In light of ongoing pandemic conditions, as well as your responses to our survey, we have made the decision to stay virtual in 2021. We miss the in-person experience, but it isn't worth the health and safety of our staff and audience. We still plan to deliver two exciting and celebratory nights of disability film and community, we hope you'll be there!

The platform we used for The Lost Reel was a good learning experience, but because of too many technical hiccups, we're switching gears again. While we get ourselves all set up on our new platform, Eventive, hop on the CTDFF interest list to be the first to know when tickets are available!

2021 Feature Films

THE REASON I JUMP

Film Poster for the reason i jump: film title and credits over an image of a young boy looking over his shoulder, hair swept back by the wind. Pastel colors suggesting a sunrise make up the background.

Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, THE REASON I JUMP is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida's revelatory insights into autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.

Moments in the lives of each of the characters are linked by the journey of a young Japanese boy through an epic landscape; narrated passages from Naoki's writing reflect on what his autism means to him and others, how his perception of the world differs, and why he acts in the way he does: the reason he jumps.

The film distills these elements into a sensually rich tapestry that leads us to Naoki's core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say.

THE REASON I JUMP (2020) is an unrated documentary and has a run time of 82 minutes. This film will screen at Cinema Touching Disability Friday, October 15, 2020.

NOT GOING QUIETLY

Film poster for Not Going Quietly: two images of Ady: above, nuzzling son's face in close up, below, holding a cane as he walks with determination holding a rally sign, escorted by a police officer, with the Washington Monument in the background. Film title appears prominently in orange between the two images, with critical quotes, laurels, and film credits in smaller text.

A rising star in progressive politics and a new father, 32-year-old Ady Barkan’s life is upended when he is diagnosed with ALS.

But after a confrontation with powerful Senator Jeff Flake on an airplane goes viral, catapulting him to national fame, Ady and a motley crew of activists ignite a once-in-a-generation political movement called “Be a Hero.”

Together, they barnstorm across the country and empower people to confront their elected officials with emotional, personal stories to demand healthcare justice, and Ady holds groundbreaking interviews with Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. Through his journey, Ady discovers that collective action and speaking truth to power offers hope for his family and millions of others.

NOT GOING QUIETLY (2021) is an unrated documentary and has a run time of 96 minutes. This film will screen at Cinema Touching Disability Saturday, October 16, 2020.

Short Film Competition Finalists

In addition to these features, we'll screen winners from our international Short Film Competition! As always, attendees to the Festival will be able to vote on the coveted Audience Favorite award for both the documentary and non-documentary divisions. Congratulations to all of this year's finalists!

 

Thank you to our 2021 CTDFF Sponsors!

Superior Healthplan
 
UnitedHealthcare
 
Amerigroup
 
CDS in Texas
 
Genentech, a member of the Roche Group
 
BlueCross BlueShield of Texas
 
Humana
Molina Healthcare

Sanofi US

 
Hart Intercivic
 
PhRMA. Research Progress Hope
 
Secure Democracy
 
Touch of CLASS

Upstream Technology

Michael Portman

HillCo Partners

American Construction Investigations

Billy Millwee & Associates

Cigna

Lynda Frost & Dennis Borel

Texas Film Commission

Texas Medical Association

Tom Suehs

Amgen

The Dentaquest Partnership

Easterseals of Texas

GRAIL

Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation

Arnold Public Affairs * Flora Brewer * Joel Eisen * JWH Communications * Gregg Knaupe

Texas Technology Access Project * Texas Association for Interior Design

Bristol Myers Squibb * Shield Healthcare * Travis Medical * George Ledbetter

 

Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival & Short Film Competition
1716 San Antonio St.,  | Austin, Texas  78701
512-478-3366 | info@txdisabilities.org

Cinema Touching Disability is a project of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with Federal Tax ID #74-2071160.

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