The JCC in Manhattan presents: THE THIRD ANNUAL
REELABILITIES: NY DISABILITIES FILM FESTIVAL
FEB 3 – 8, 2011
REELABILITIES.ORG
MANHATTAN / BRONX / BROOKLYN / QUEENS /
STATEN ISLAND / WESTCHESTER
FILMS
ANITA
Director: Marcos Carnevale (2009 / Argentina / 104min)
Narrative
Anita, a young woman with Down syndrome, gets separated from her mother after a bomb
explodes at their Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. As she wanders the city searching
for her mom–alone for the first time ever–she discovers an inner strength few could have
expected.
BRAIN DAMADJ’D…TAKE II
Director: Paul Nadler (2006 / Canada / 50min)
Documentary
Ten years ago, Paul Nadler was a creative maverick: an extreme sportsman, award-winning TV
director, and a veritable Casanova to boot. When a car accident leaves him with a traumatic
brain injury he sets out to reaffirm he is still is all of these things.
CROOKED BEAUTY
Director: Ken Paul Rosenthal (2010 / USA / 30min)
Documentary
A visually stunning account of artist-activist Jacks Ashley McNamara's transformation from
victim of a troubled childhood to psych ward patient to pioneering mental health advocate. This
poetic tale reshapes mental health stigmas while re-approaching madness as a tool for
creativity, inspiration and hope.
REEL-ENCOUNTERS
Directors: Various / (2010 / UK / Australia / 60min)
Collection of Short Films
A series of groundbreaking short films made by and about different deaf communities from
around the world. Dating, possessed machines, and much more are tackled in these diverse
and captivating universal gems.
THE LAST AMERICAN FREAK SHOW
Director: Richard Butchins (2008 / UK / 80min)
Documentary
Political correctness be damned! A motley crew of performers with disabilities, turn the
American Freak Show on its head, as they travel the country exposing bigotry, bucking
expectations, and challenging preconceptions at every step.
ME, TOO
Directors: Antonio Naharro, Álvaro Pastor (2009 / Spain / 103min)
Narrative
Daniel, a recent college graduate with Down Syndrome forges a strong bond with vivacious
workmate Laura, but their burgeoning relationship turns complicated when he professes his love
to her. This gripping narrative questions modern relationships and conceptions of “normality” as
the couple grapples with their need to connect.
MY SPECTACULAR THEATER
Director: Lu Yang (2010 / China / 120min)
Narrative
Chen Yu, a hawker of pirated DVDs, finds refuge and then employment in a Beijing movie
theater for the blind. As his relationship to the blind community deepens, he finds love,
acceptance, and heartbreak in this beautifully-shot ode to the power of cinema.
THE RED CHAPEL
Director: Mads Brügger (2009 / Denmark / 87min)
Documentary
In this Sundance favorite, a journalist with no scruples and two Danish/Korean comedians—one
a self-proclaimed "spastic" with cerebral palsy—travel to North Korea under the guise of cultural
exchange. Mixing biting humor and incisive investigative skills the troupe exposes a totalitarian
regime long suspected of shunning its disabled population.
WANDERING EYES
Directed by: Ofir Trainin (2010 / Israel / 55min)
Documentary
Gabriel Belhassan is the next big thing in the rock music world, former Orthodox Jew and
recently diagnosed manic depressive. Upon being released from a psychiatric facility, he begins
work on a solo album, but urban solitude, disturbed sleep, and a myriad of daily pressures
refuse to let him be.
WARRIOR CHAMPIONS
Director: Craig Renaud (2009 / China / USA / 80min)
Documentary
Four Iraq War veterans turn the nightmares of war into Olympic dreams. After losing limbs and
suffering paralysis fighting for their country in Iraq, they have set out to do what many thought
impossible... but will they make the cut?
WRETCHES & JABBERERS
Director: Gerardine Wurzburg (2010 / USA / 90min)
Documentary
Two men with autism–an accomplished artist and an activist–embark on a global quest to
change attitudes about autism and intelligence. Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette travel to
Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland, dissecting, challenging, and reshaping public conceptions along
the way.
EVENTS
DIVERSITY ON SESAME STREET
40 years of the seminal TV show screened for kids in one room, while adults are treated to clips
and a conversation with show writer Emily Perl Kingsley in another.
FLAME
A spectacular show from the NY-based band, comprising 11 musicians/performers with
developmental and physical abilities.
FREE PLAYERS
Family Residences and Essential Enterprises’ (FREE) jazz ensemble of performers. with mental
and develop-mental disabilities.
IF CREATED BY HEIDI LATSKY DANCE
Excerpts from IF, a breathtaking com-munity-based dance performance which transcends
physical differences with a diverse cast of 20 that is multi-generational, multiracial and of mixed
ability.
MUSIC FOR AUTISM
An interactive, “Autism friendly” con-cert featuring Broadway’s Jersey Boys’ Dominic Nolfi,
Dominic Scaglione and Deborah Hurwitz. Open for individuals with autism and their families.
Advance registration required. This concert is the first of the Linda Rodgers Emory Concert
Series generously underwritten by the Richard and Dorothy Rodgers Fund of UJA-Federation.
OUR TIME
Original work by the talented members of Our Time, a non-profit organiza-tion that uses the arts
to improve the confidence and communication skills of young people who stutter.
SEEING WITH PHOTOGRAPHY
A striking exhibition of photos from artists who are visually impaired, partially sighted, and totally
blind. On View Feb 3-8 at The Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library
40 W. 20th St, NY, NY 10011 | 212.206.5400
NAVIGATING DISABILITY: AN EXPLORATION BY 4 ARTISTS
ON VIEW Feb 3–Apr 28
THE LAURIE M TISCH GALLERY AT THE JCC IN MANHATTAN
Fountain Gallery, the premier venue for artists with mental illness, and VSA, the international
organization on arts and disability, present 4 artists (Jacks Ashley McNamara, Martin Cohen,
Emily Eifler, Scott Ligon) who are navigating unique relationships between disability and
creative expressions. Gallery Reception and Artist Talk on Sat, Feb 5, 6 pm
SCHEDULE
MANHATTAN
JCC IN MANHATTAN
334 Amsterdam Ave
New York, NY 10023
646.505.5708
877.505.6708 - TTY
Anita
Thursday, Feb 3, 7pm
Opening Night
Diversity on Sesame Street
Sat, Feb 5, 2 pm
IF
Sat, Feb 5, 4 pm
Gallery Reception and Artists Talk
Sat, Feb 5, 6pm
Crooked Beauty + Wandering Eyes
Sat, Feb 5, 7 pm
Me, Too
Sat, Feb 5, 9:15 pm
Music for Autism
Sun, Feb 6, 11am
Our Time
Sun, Feb 6, 1 pm
Brain Damadj'd...Take II
Sun, Feb 6, 2 pm
Warrior Champions
Sun, Feb 6, 4 pm
My Spectacular Theater
Sun, Feb 6, 7 pm
Reel-Encounters (Short Films)
Mon, Feb 7, 7 pm
Red Chapel
Mon, Feb 7, 8:45 pm
Wretches & Jabberers
Tue, Feb 8, 7 pm
Closing Night
GEORGE BRUCH LIBRARY
518 W. 125th St
New York, NY 10027
212.662.9727
FREE Players
Sat, Feb 5, 2 pm
NYU
19 University Place, Rm 102
New York, NY 10012
The Last American Freak Show
Fri, Feb 4, 3 pm
BELLEVUE HOSPITAL CENTER
Saul Farber Auditorium
462 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212.562.5571
Crooked Beauty
Fri, Feb 4, 1:30 pm
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
Kaufman Astoria Studios Film & Video Gallery (2nd Floor)
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
New York, NY 10021
212.570.7789
Reel-Encounters (Short Films)
Sat, Feb 5, 7 pm
SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
Sackler Center for Arts Education
5th Ave at 89th Street
New York 10128
212.360.4355
Crooked Beauty and Brain Damadj'd...Take II
Mon, February 7, 6:30pm
JEFFERSON MARKET LIBRARY
425 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011
212.243.4334
The Last American Freak Show
Mon, Feb 7, 6 pm
CHATHAM SQUARE LIBRARY
33 East Broadway
New York, NY 10002
212.964.6598
My Spectacular Theater
Tue, Feb 8, 4:30 pm
GEORGE BRUCE LIBRARY
518 West 125th St
New York, NY 10027
212.662.9727
FREE Players
Sat, Feb 5, 2 pm
ANDREW HEISKELL BRAILLE AND TALKING BOOK LIBRARY
40 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212.206.5400
Seeing with Photography
On View Feb 3 – 8
BRONX
HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Savoy Building, 2nd Fl
120 E. Walton Ave.
Bronx, NY 10451
718.518.6656
Warrior Champions
Mon, Feb 7, 1 pm
BELMONT LIBRARY
610 E. 186th Street (at Hughes Ave.)
Bronx, NY 10458
718.933.6410
FREE Players
Mon, Feb 7, 4 pm
QUEENS
CENTRAL QUEENS Y
67-09 108th Avenue
Forest Hills, NY 11375
718.268.5011
Anita
Tue, Feb 8, 1pm
Warrior Champions
Tue, Feb 8, 7pm
BROOKLYN
NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
25 Chapel Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718.552.1180
Crooked Beauty and Wandering Eyes
Fri, Feb 4, 6pm
Anita
Mon, Feb 7, 6pm
STATEN ISLAND
JCC OF STATEN ISLAND
Joan and Allan Bernikow Building
1466 Manor Road Staten Island, NY 10314
718.475.5286
Brain Damadj’d…Take II
Sat, Feb 5, 8 pm
Warrior Champions
Sun, Feb 6, 12 pm noon
FLAME
Sun, Feb 6, 3pm
Anita
Mon, Feb 7, 7 pm
Crooked Beauty
Wandering Eyes
Tues, Feb 8, 7 pm
ROOSEVELT ISLAND
COLER GOLDWARTER HOSPITAL
1 Main Street , 1st Floor Auditorium
Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
212.318.4728
Warrior Champions
Sat, Feb 5, 7 pm
Brain Damadj’d…Take II
Mon, Feb 7, 6:30 pm
PS 217
645 Main Street
Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
Wretches and Jabberers
Fri, Feb 4, 7 pm
WESTCHESTER
JCC ON THE HUDSON
371 South Broadway
Tarrytown, NY 10591
914.366.7898
Wretches and Jabberers
Sun, Feb 6, 11 am
Warrior Champions
Mon, Feb 7, 10:30 am
JCC MID-WESTCHESTER
Bendheim Theater
999 Wilmot Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914.472.3300
Crooked Beauty
Thu, Feb 3, 1 pm
Warrior Champions
Fri, Feb 4, 9:30 am
Diversity on Sesame Street
Sun, Feb 6, 10:30 am
Wretches & Jabberers
Tue, Feb 8, 6:30 pm
LONG ISLAND
ABILITIES!
Smeal Learning Center
201 I.U. Willets. Rd
Albertson, NY 11507
516.465.1431
My Spectacular Theater
Sat, Feb 5, 8 pm
Warrior Champions
Sun, Feb 6, 2 pm
Wretches & Jabberers
Mon, Feb 7, 7 pm
CINEMA ARTS CENTRE
423 Park Ave
Huntington, NY 11743
800.838.3006
Wretches & Jabberers
Sun, Feb 6, 1 pm
Me Too
Sun, Feb 6, 4:15 pm
ACCESSIBILITY INFORMAITON
Reelabilities strives for inclusion of all people. Individuals needing
accommodations to participate should contact the screening venue directly
by January 20.
ASL interpretation, Live Audio Description, and information in Braille are
available upon advance request.
All films are captioned or subtitled and all venues are wheelchair accessible.
TICKET INFORMATION
Admission varies by location. Tickets are available online. To purchase
tickets by phone please contact the screening venue directly.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
VISIT REELABILITIES.ORG
CALL (TTY) 877.505.6709 / 646.505.5708