Superfest International Disability Film Festival Explained

Superfest International Disability Film Festival -->
Logo Alt:Superfest International Disability Film Festival logo
Founded:1970
Producers:Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Language:Primarily English

Superfest International Disability Film Festival is a juried film festival held in the San Francisco Bay Area. Superfest is the longest-running disability film festival in the world.[1] In addition to featuring films developed by and starring people with disabilities, Superfest aims to be inclusive.[2] [3] The directors also coach the film makers about accessibility of films to people with disabilities. During the film festival, the organizers provide sign language interpreters and film narrators to allow for the attendees with various disabilities to appreciate the films.[4] All of the judges for Superfest are people with disabilities from various community roles, including disability community organizers, disability studies scholars, and film aficionados. Superfest closely follows the disability rights slogan: Nothing About Us Without Us.

Stereotypes of disabilities are perpetuated through mainstream media and popular culture.[5] [6] The aim of Superfest is to showcase films created by people with disabilities, illustrating real life experiences of disability and how universal the topic of disability can be.[7] Some film submissions are what the disability community refers to as inspiration porn. These stories are generally regarding people with disabilities completing a great feat, in spite of their disabilities, and never approach the topic of discrimination of people with disabilities or the social standards to which people with disabilities are held.[7] Attendees express they can be authentic at Superfest and speak openly about their experiences.

Superfest is held over a weekend and is considered more of a cultural event than a film festival.[7]

History

The Superfest International Disability Film Festival began as the Film Forum for the AAMR in the 1970s, and was supported by the University Affiliated Program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles In 1976, it was taken on as a major activity by a newly created non-profit organization, the Corporation on Disability and Telecommunication (CDT). CDT's mission was to promote a positive image of people with disabilities and promote employment for persons with disabilities in the media industry.

At that time, Superfest was the only international film festival that showcased diverse films related to the social challenge of disability, receiving entries from around the country and the world. Viewing committees were established in multiple California locations, often based at the Developmental Disability Regional Centers and eventually at other places around the country. During the late 70s and for most of the 1980s, Superfest screened nearly 100 films a year, produced yearly PBS television viewings throughout the nation, was funded by the Corporation on Public Broadcasting, the State of California, and other groups. During this time, CDT also produced the documentary BREAKING GROUND for KTLA-TV about Hollywood actors with disabilities who were breaking into the mainstream. Both the PBS specials and BREAKING GROUND received Hollywood chapter Emmy nominations for their hosts, along with a 1987 documentary AMNESTY: THE DREAM FULFILLED? about how persons with disabilities were being excluded from becoming citizens. Superfest received special recognition at the Hawaii International Film Festival in 1987 and at the Pacific Film Archives in Berkeley.

The KTLA documentaries received state and national recognition and CDT received various California State grants and awards. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the leadership of CDT changed, and focus for the running of Superfest shifted to the CDT chapter in the San Francisco Bay area. This was not a surprise in that the first screening committees and PBS airings were in the Bay Area. The first Superfest awards ceremony and screening outside of Los Angeles and AAMR conventions sites, was at the Presidio in San Franciscom, hosted by Jay Leno. In fact, the name for the festival, "Superfest" was first recommended by the "Northern California" organizing committee.

In 1995, CDT decided to move Superfest from Los Angeles to Berkeley. Berkeley is significant to the disability rights movement and independent living.

Annual film festivals were held in Berkeley from 1998 to 2011. In 2009, Superfest held a commemorative two-day program featuring 13 disability films the committee considered classics of disability in film called Superfest Classics.[8]

In 2015 Superfest expanded to a two-day festival and recognized the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act being signed into legislation.[9] With the beginnings as a grass-roots organization, Superfest has not been able to have a film festival each year since its founding. The 2016 festival was their 30th film festival. After the 2019 festival, the LightHouse for the Blind and the Longmore Institute dissolved their partnership, and now the festival is run solely by the Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University.[4] [10]

Films shown at Superfest Classics (2009)

Film title Director Producer Year initially shown at Superfest
About Love Tofik Shakhverdiev Tofik Shakhverdiev 2006
Annie Dearest Terry Galloway & Diane Wilkins Diane Wilkins Productions & Mickee Faust Films 2003
Assistive Technology Boogie Jim Tobias Jim Tobias 2005
Beyond Disability: the Fefe Stories Salome Chasnoff The Empowered Fefes 2005
Disability Culture Rap Jerry Smith Jerry Smith & Cheryl Wade 2000
"Hose," "Cards," & "Water Balloons" Sean Ehringer Mark Conly 2003
Kiss My Wheels Miguel Grunstein & Dale Kruzic Miguel Grunstein & Dale Kruzic 2003
LIEBE PERLA (Dear Perla) Shahar Rozen Edna & Elinor Kowarsky, Eden Productions 2004
Pelswick: DRAW Nelvana 2001
The Power of 504 Dan Veltri 1998
Raymond's Portrait Donald Young Donald Young 1999
Wood Diary David Edwin Meyers David Edwin Meyers 2006
Youth Speaks segment from KQED's series SPARK Howard Shack & the Bay Area Video Coalition 2005
Source:[8]

The Dissies

In 2013, Superfest presented a special event. This event was to highlight films where disability had been mocked or portrayed in an insensitive manner.[11] These types of films where disability is mocked are referred to as disability snub films.[12] The "Dissies" mirror the Razzies, where the award given is not an honor at all. Each year, a new "Dissie" is awarded from films nominated by the community. Mock "Dissie" awards are given each year to disability snub films.[3]

The Dissies
Worst portrayal of a disability by a nondisabled actorSo sweet (that they're not)
The Most Amazing MiracleThe Most Tragic
The Worst Disabled VillainCrips Gone Wild
Hey – only we can laugh at that
Source:[13]

Award winners

1998

Source:[14]

1999

Source:[15]

2000

Source:[16]

2001

Source:[17]

2002

Source:[18]

2003

Source:[19]

2004

Source:[20]

2005

Source:[21]

2006

Source:[22]

2007

Source:[23]

2008

Source:[24]

2010

Source:[24]

2011

Source:[24]

2014

Source:[24]

2015

Source:[24]

Source:[24]

Source:[24]

Source:[24]

Source:[25]

Directors

Pamela Walker led the film festival efforts from 1998 to 2001, after which, Liane Yasumoto took over operations.[2] Catherine Kudlick, the director of the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University, and Bryan Bashin, CEO of LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, joined to direct Superfest starting in 2012.[2] [7]

Since 2012, when the Longmore Institute on Disability and LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired have directed Superfest, there has been a film festival each year, and the festivals have sold out each time.[7]

Growth of the festival

Superfest now attracts over 300 attendees during the festival's two-day event. Filmmakers from both beginning and established backgrounds showcase their projects at Superfest. Filmmakers have debuted their films at Superfest and then gone on to receive broader distribution opportunities and further success.[26] [27] The film creators have expressed having Superfest as an opportunity to showcase their work is affirming.[28]

In 2016, there were 119 film submissions for Superfest.[29]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: Your Call: Superfest, the world's longest running disability film festival. Aguilar. Rose. Flynn. Laura. 19 October 2016. kalw.org/. 27 January 2017.
  2. Web site: Farrell. Jonathan. Op-Ed: Audio Describer donates her voice to help those with disabilities. Digital Journal. 23 January 2017.
  3. Web site: Deveras. Reuben. Comedic 'Superfest' discusses disability portrayal in film. Golden Gate Xpress. 23 January 2017.
  4. Web site: Ghenis. Alex. Superfest International Disability Film Festival Celebrates 30 Years. New Mobility: Life beyond wheels. 20 January 2017.
  5. Hayes. Michael T.. Black. Rhonda S.. Troubling Signs: Disability, Hollywood Movies and the Construction of a Discourse of Pity. Disability Studies Quarterly. 2003. 23. 2. 114. 10.18061/dsq.v23i2.419. 27 January 2017. free.
  6. Dahl. Marilyn. The Role of the Media in Promoting Images of Disability- Disability as Metaphor: The Evil Crip. Canadian Journal of Communication. 1993. 18. 1. 10.22230/cjc.1993v18n1a718. 27 January 2017.
  7. Web site: Toffolo. Matthew. Interview with Festival Coordinator Emily Smith Beitiks (Superfest: International Disability Film Festival). Festival Reviews. 24 January 2017.
  8. Web site: Descriptions of Superfest Classics. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325114140/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2009.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  9. Web site: Farrell. Jonathan. Op-Ed: Films as far away as Kazakstan will premiere at Superfest. Digital Journal. 24 January 2017.
  10. Web site: Smith. Gar. Movies in the Margin: The Disability Film Festival, the UN Film Festival, and Films on Fracking. The Berkeley Daily Planet. 20 January 2017.
  11. Web site: Patterson. James. Film event highlights 'disses' of disabled. The Bay Area Reporter. 27 January 2017.
  12. Web site: Cipriani. Belo. Seeing in the Dark: Film festival celebrates disability. The Bay Area Reporter. 27 January 2017.
  13. Web site: The Dissies – Nominees and "Winners". Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability. 30 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170202072357/http://longmoreinstitute.sfsu.edu/pages/dissies-nominees-and-winners. February 2, 2017. dead. mdy-all.
  14. Web site: Superfest XVIII Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325104928/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf1998.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  15. Web site: Superfest XIX Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325112117/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf1999.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  16. Web site: Superfest XX Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325115354/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2000.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  17. Web site: Superfest XXI Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325105759/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2001.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  18. Web site: Superfest XXII Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325105717/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2002.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  19. Web site: Superfest XXIIIV Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325115435/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2003.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  20. Web site: Superfest XXIV Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160309073334/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2004.html. March 9, 2016. mdy-all.
  21. Web site: Superfest XXV Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160316083130/http://www.culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2005.html. March 16, 2016. mdy-all.
  22. Web site: Superfest XXVI Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325115003/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2006.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  23. Web site: Superfest XXVII Award Winner's List. Internet Archive: Culture! Disability! Talent!. 30 January 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20160325105929/http://culturedisabilitytalent.org/superfest/sf2007.html. March 25, 2016. mdy-all.
  24. Web site: Past Award Winners. Superfest International Disability Film Festival. 30 January 2017.
  25. Web site: 2019 Films. Superfest. en-US. 2019-11-07.
  26. Web site: Farrell. Jonathan. Op-Ed: 'Marvelous' Superfest event highlighted disability with 52 films. Digital Journal. 24 January 2017.
  27. Web site: Erbland. Kate. Film Acquisition Rundown: Sony Pictures Classics Grabs 'The Comedian,' Breaking Glass Gets 'Sins Of Our Youth' And More. IndieWire. 27 January 2017.
  28. Web site: Farrell. Jonathan. Op-Ed: 'Man with the hook' in films had to step aside, says filmmaker. Digital Journal. 27 January 2017.
  29. Web site: Hauder. Jacqueline. Superfest Film Festival challenges media perceptions of people with disabilities. Golden Gate Press. 27 January 2017.

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