Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival
The Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival and Short Film Competition aims to change the picture of disability through film. The oldest cinematic celebration of disability in the state, the Festival features the work of independent filmmakers from around the world, from documentaries to animated shorts to the avant-garde. The Festival provides a unique and entertaining way to positively and accurately view disability.
Our 23rd annual Festival will take place on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at a new-to-us venue, the Central Austin Library. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about upcoming collaborative screenings, and this year's progam. Check out highlights from last year's Fest!
Upcoming Collaborative Screenings
None scheduled at the moment! Want to partner up on a collaborative screening? We’re offering our 2024/ 2025 line-up for special engagements at schools, businesses, and other community groups all year long. If you’re interested in booking or co-hosting a screening in your community, contact us at filmfest@txdisabilities.org.
About Cinema Touching Disability
Praised by the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, the Austin Mayor's Committee on People with Disabilities, the Texas Film Commission, and the Austin Film Society, Cinema Touching Disability is informative and refreshing for all audiences. The Festival provides audiences with the opportunity to enjoy films that can’t otherwise be seen on the big screen. We offer unique evenings with wrap-around experiences inspired by the films, like live entertainment, art, and conversations.
Stay in touch! Get the latest all year through Cinema Touching Disability News, our free e-newsletter, with exclusive interviews and insightful analysis of recent popular film releases from a disability perspective. For updates about this year's program, featured guests, the short film competition, and more Festival highlights, follow us on Facebook - Instagram.
The Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival is a program of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. One in five Texans has a disability, and CTD works to ensure that we may work, live, learn, play and participate fully in the communities of our choice. CTD’s statewide priorities include independent living, attendant wages and other services, civil rights, employment, and access to healthcare and medications.
Learn more about the history of the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival and Short Film Competition.
Interested in hosting a screening of CTDFF films in your community? Inquire here.
Films
The 2026 film lineup:
Film Fest Tickets
Tickets on a sliding scale starting at $5.
Parking and snacks are included.
If cost is a barrier, you can request comped tickets by emailing filmfest@txdisabilities.org.
Submit to the Film Festival
The 2026 Short Film Competition is open now! Final Deadline: June 5.
Fee schedule:
Regular ($20) ends April 5.
Extended ($30-40) ends May 1.
Late ($40-50) ends June 5.
Film Fest Newsletter
Sign up for our e-newsletter to stay up to date with the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival & Short Film Competition.
Current issue: Save the Date, Sept. 5, 2026!
Contact the Film Festival
Contact: Laura Perna
Phone: (512) 478-3366 ext. 305
Email: filmfest@txdisabilities.org
