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2015 Film Festival

November 6 & 7, 2015. Alamo Drafthouse Village.

What a year for Cinema Touching Disability! In 2015, we turned our attention to barrier-breaking women with disabilities, bringing two award-winning documentaries (not to mention their stars!) to Austin.

We got an early start on Festival activities with a re-design of our logo (above), inspired by the Accessible Icon Project's update of the International Symbol of Access. Then it was months of work on logistics, outreach, and fundraising until the big event November 6 & 7 at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. With a smattering of print and TV media coverage and help from our co-hosts, we pre-sold a record number of tickets, and our audience packed the house to capacity both nights (right).

We began our program both nights with winning entries from our international Short Film Competition. First place in the non-documentary division went to Guest Room (left), an entry from 2007 competition winner Joshua Tate and an official selection at SXSW Film. In it, a young woman with Down Syndrome grapples with questions of intimacy, identity, and motherhood after an unplanned pregnancy with her boyfriend. Menke's Disease: Finding Help and Hope picked up first place in the documentary division. This film introduced audiences to this rare genetic disorder, and to three families who found hope after their children received the diagnosis.

Check out the full results of the 2015 Short Film Competition!

Friday night after the Short Film Competition, we opened the stage to another CTD arts initiative, the Pen 2 Paper creative writing contest. 2015 Grand Prize winner David Borden read It Will Be More Beautiful, a selection from his upcoming memoir on raising a daughter with multiple disabilities.

Right Footed (2015) was our big feature on Friday night. Directed by Emmy Award winning film-maker Nick Spark and winner of the Best Documentary in this summer's Mirable Dictu International Film, Right Footed chronicles two years in the life of Jessica Cox. Born without arms, Cox is the world's only armless pilot, an accomplished martial artist, a college graduate, and an advocate for the disabled.

In conjunction with the martial arts component of the film, CTD partnered with Austin-based One World Karate to hold a mixed-ability martial arts exhibition to kick off the Festival. Because of bad weather, we had to relocate the exhibition from the outdoor beer garden to the lobby, where the young students showed off their moves, including board-breaking (above. See more great photos on One World Karate's Facebook page!). It made for a packed lobby, but none of the other theatergoers messed with them!

Those weren't our only guests on Friday; we brought Jessica herself into town for the Festival! In addition to introducing the film, conducting a Q&A, and signing autographs (right, with fan Caity Masey), Jessica did several media interviews with Film Festival Coordinator William Greer, agreed to speak to the student body of the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, and participated in the martial arts exhibition. Unstoppable indeed!

2015 SXSW Audience Award-winning documentary A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story took top billing on Saturday. Born with a rare syndrome that prevents her from gaining weight, Austinite Velasquez was bullied as a child for looking different. The film recounts details of her physical and emotional journey, from bullying victim to anti-bullying activist.

After the film, we were thrilled to bring Lizzie and her parents to the theater for an audience Q&A (below, answering a question from fan and sponsor Michael Akinosi)! We couldn't have planned a more engaging, powerful way to close the Festival, and it was clear the audience agreed: they gave Lizzie a standing ovation when she entered the theater and couldn't wait to get her autograph afterwards.

As we wrapped up the theater, we got another affirming surprise: our staff noted that some of the wheelchair seats in our theater were too close to a ledge and potentially unsafe. A Drafthouse manager put in a maintenance request to address the problem, and we received word later that they have been approved. It's a small detail, but is one more way that Cinema Touching Disability is removing barriers!

Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival & Short Film Competition is made possible in 2015 by generous support from our 2015 Film Fest sponsors.

We also extend our thanks to:

• our Short Film Competition judges, who donate their time and talent to one of the most popular elements of the Fest;
• Erika Lawn, our Film Fest intern and volunteer coordinator, and volunteer Sabrina Estrada, who provided help both evenings, greeting guests, answering questions, taking surveys, and a lot more;
• our cohosts

2014 Festival