Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival
Thanks to the 2021 Short Film Competition Judges!
2021 Documentary Division Results
First place: DISEASED AND DISORDERLY
Dir. Andrew Kötting. United Kingdom
DISEASED AND DISORDERLY is a film that uses the paintings, drawings and collages of the neurodiverse artist Eden Kötting to make imagistic gold. Assisted by her father, Andrew Kötting, the 2D animator Glenn Whiting, and the 3D animator Isabel Skinner, the collaboration takes us on a phantasmagorical journey into a world of Eden's making and then beyond. Website | Facebook | Instagram
Second Place: THE UNIVERSE ACCORDING TO DAN BUCKLEY
Dir. Roberto Santaguida. Canada
In the beginning, there was nothing. You can get nothing easily.
Third Place: TBI & MY LONGEST RIDE
Dir. Cheryl Green, Karl Moritz. United States
Karl Kajomo Moritz faced the ultimate life change when he was bicycle commuting home from work in 2010 and was hit head on by a car and spent five weeks in a coma. Kajomo developed a healing plan with healthy eating, acupuncture, speech therapy, neurofeedback, and high cardio velodrome track riding. He embarked on what he calls spinning for neurogenesis: improving cognition and overall brain bandwidth and reconnecting with his sons and his community. Funded by a generous grant from Regional Arts & Culture Council.
Finalists
THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS OF JEREMY SICILE-KIRA
Dir. Aaron Lemle. United States
Jeremy Sicile-Kira uses painting to transcend his disability and communicate his dreams to others.
VERNOS FLORECER (SEEING UP BLOSSOM)
Dir. Claudia Castellàn, Huayra Bello. Guatemala
In January 2020, the Women with the Ability to Dream in Color (Mujeres con Capacidad de Soñar a Colores) collective and the METOCA organization conducted the first Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory exclusively for women with disabilities. In Sololà, Guatemala, using their creativity, complicity, pleasure, and collective strength, this group starts to break their silence and change a history of exclusion and violence legitimated by the state, the system and society at large. Trailer
2021 Non-documentary Division Finalists
First Place: THE SECRET LIFE OF TOM LIGHTFOOT
Dir. Ray Jacobs. United Kingdom
Tom Lightfoot works as a calls operator for "We have the Answers," a call centre which answers anybody's questions about absolutely anything. Tom is secretly studying for a PHD in bird migration, but this is not Tom's secret life; his secret is inside of him. This film is part of a series of films, ˜Secret Lives," that combines the artistry and experiences of UK learning disability group ˜Arty Party," the film direction of Ray Jacobs, and the writings of NYT best selling fantasy author Jeff Vandermeer. Facebook
Second Place (tie): COCOON
Dir. Yavar Darehzami. Islamic Republic of Iran
The short man, under the influence of the media, makes an artificial limb for himself, grows tall, comes out of his house, and we see that everyone is short. Instagram
Second Place (tie): WIGGLE ROOM
Dir. Sam Guest, Julia Baylis. United States
Determined to save her wheelchair ramp from repossession, Daisy confronts the shady insurance agent who owes her money. Website | Instagram
Third Place: SIGN NIGHT
Dir. Cathy Mager. United Kingdom
Sign Night is a poetic conversation in sign language between two star crossed lovers, projected onto buildings in central Bristol, U.K. The deaf performers share their dreams for the future from building to building, across the night sky. Sign Night is inspired by the balcony performers of Wuhan and Lombardy, this time using British Sign Language (BSL), the vital, visual and versatile language of British deaf communities. Website | Twitter | Instagram
Finalists
BEAUTIFUL BEAR
Dir. Stuart Quinn. United Kingdom
Peter is on autism spectrum and lives with a soft toy bear companion called Teddy. The two are inseparable. However, one night he must summon the courage to face a situation he has never faced before and for the first time... without Teddy.
FEELING THROUGH
Dir. Doug Roland. United States
FEELING THROUGH, the first film to star a DeafBlind actor, is a coming of age story that follows Tereek, a teen wandering the streets of New York, desperate for a place to crash when he encounters Artie, a DeafBlind man in need of help getting home. From an awkward meeting between strangers emerges an intimate bond, and a journey that forever changes Tereek. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SIGNS AND GESTURES
Dir. Itandehui Jansen. United Kingdom
Florist Clara relies on smell, touch and sound. She has recently been chatting with art student Simon through a dating app. They arrange to meet in person. However, during their first date an unexpected situation arises. Website | Facebook | Instagram
WITHIN THE SILENCE
Dir. Jade Tailor. Canada
A young girl, Iris, escapes a tumultuous reality and her abusive father by fleeing deep into her imagination. As she immerses herself in her storybook, she finds that the reality she had once known would quickly fade away. It is there, in the depths of her mind, that she finds hope, a touch of magic, and a place few dare to dream. Instagram
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Short Film Competition History
In 2007, CTD introduced the Student Film Competition to Cinema Touching Disability. In only a few years, it has become arguably the most popular element of the Festival! The vision behind the Competition is to encourage and empower emerging filmmakers to generate innovative film that addresses social, cultural, and personal perceptions about and experiences with disability. Volunteer judges select the first, second, and third place winners in both categories and a poll during the Festival determines the Audience Favorites. Winners enjoy cash and prizes, interviews with local media outlets, and a public screening of their film at the Festival. Right: CTD's Dennis Borel presents director Debbie Finley with the Grand Prize (Emerging Division) award for MIND OVER POLIO, a documentary featuring Charlotte Ferris (seated).
The first year of the Competition, Josh Tate's FORGOTTEN LIVES, a highly acclaimed documentary about abuse of people with disabilities in state schools, took the Grand Prize (College Division).
Judge Chris Garcia, then a film critic for the Austin American-Statesman, called the film "truly eye opening and alarming...smartly and lucidly crafted." Left: Borel with the 2007 College division winners, Josh Tate, Sergio Carvajal, J. Anthony Hernandez, and others.
Zach Anner, a person with cerebral palsy featured in FORGOTTEN LIVES, went on to national stardom with his television show, The Real Zack Anner. Anner won a national competition for potential television show hosts, held by the Oprah Winfrey Network, but he started with Cinema Touching Disability!
Tate went on to win the 2015 Competition's Grand Prize (narrative division) with his short, GUEST ROOM, also an official selection at that year's SXSW Film Festival.
During the following few year years, the Competition began to receive more and more excellent films, many from local filmmakers and organizations. Some of our early Competition winners include the Capital Area Boy Scouts (2007), ADAPT of Texas (2008), and several area high school students. We also attracted the attention of young filmmakers from outside of Texas, like Drew Goldsmith, whose shorts have appeared on the PBS documentary series POV (2008, 2011), and students from the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts (2010). Right: Borel presents the 2008 Grand Prize (High School division) plaque to Michael Espinoza for his short "THE WAR TO END ALL WARS."
As the years have passed, Cinema Touching Disability has evolved the Competition to better suit our vision. For example, initially, the Competition was aimed at high school and college students, but in 2009, we opened it up to filmmakers of all ages. That year, we began to receive films from outside the United States, including Grand Prize winner (Emerging division), MON AMI CLAUDE, from Canada. With the incorporation of an online submission system a few years later, we saw increased participation from entrants all over the world. Now, filmmakers from outside the US routinely place as finalists or winners in our Competition. Grand prize winners in 2013 and 2014 for example, came all the way from Australia and Turkey, respectively. At our most recent Festival, winning entries arrived from the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, and Australia. Left (last one on this page): Still from 2013 Grand Prize winner and Audience Favorite "BE MY BROTHER, submitted by Genevieve Clay of Australia.
CTD is proud that our Short Film Competition not only has grown to allow us to share the best disability shorts in the world with our audience; it also draws international attention to Austin as a disability film hub.
The Cinema Touching Disability Short Film Competition is your opportunity to share your view of disability with our audience. We want interesting, imaginative, and creative representations of disability on film. All filmmakers, including professional, independent, amateur, secondary level school, and university students, are encouraged to submit their own representations of disability.
View past years' results
- 2020 Competition Results
- 2019 Competition Results
- 2018 Competition Results
- 2017 Competition Results
- 2016 Competition Results
- 2015 Competition Results
- 2014 Competition Results
- 2013 Competition Results
- 2012 Competition Results
- 2011 Competition Results
- 2010 Competition Results
- 2009 Competition Results
- 2008 Competition Results
- 2007 Competition Results
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Contact the Film Festival
Contact: Laura Perna
Phone: (512) 478-3366 ext. 305
Email: filmfest@txdisabilities.org