By Mabel Pais

Celebrating Stories of People with Disabilities

Highlighting Themes of Inclusion, Accessibility,

Authentic Casting and Responsible Representation

at JCC Manhattan Virtual Cinema

April 29 – May 5

The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan’s (MMJCCM) ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York has its 13th annual run virtually from April 29th through May 5th.

Itzhak Perlman is Opening Night honoree.

Closing Night honoree is Temple Grandin.

For a selection of Q&As, exclusive events and speakers accompanying the Festival, visit ny.reelabilities.org

ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York founded in New York City in 2007 is the largest festival in the U.S. dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. The 13th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York will be a hybrid festival; Opening Night will be a drive-in screening (partnered with Rooftop Films) at the Queens drive-in with virtual screenings and live Q+As via the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan virtual cinema and their partner theaters including the Jacob Burns Film Center, Maysles Cinema, among others for the rest of the festival.

There are 9 Feature films including Opening Night and Closing Night, and 19 Short films.

 OPENING NIGHT:

“BEST NIGHT EVER”

April 29 at 7 PM @ Queens Drive-In

DIRS: Michael Parks Randa & Lauren Smitelli l US | 2020 | 80 min

Sage (Shannon DeVido) and Anthony (Ricky Wilson, Jr.) had the best summer ever after falling in love at summer camp. By a twist of fate, Sage arrives unexpectedly at the same high school as Anthony at the start of the new school year. Now faced with the drama of cliques, an evil cheerleader, and the illegal secret that keeps Sage’s family on the move, they are forced to re-evaluate their relationship. This history-making musical features eight original songs and a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM:

“NOT GOING QUIETLY”

May 5 at 7 p.m. Virtual

DIR: Nicholas Bruckman l US | 2021| 96 min

When activist and new father Ady Barkan is diagnosed with ALS and given four years to live, he finds himself directly impacted by a new legislation proposal jeopardizing essential healthcare programs critical to Ady’s and others’ survival. After a chance confrontation with Senator Jeff Flake goes viral, Ady embarks on a cross-country tour, using his final breaths to fight for healthcare justice to try and create a better world for his newborn son to inherit.

TICKETS, UPDATES

For tickets, the complete film slate, updates on exclusive events and speakers and more information, visit reelabilities.org/newyork

ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York

ReelAbilities Film Festival is the largest film festival in the world dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. Founded in New York in 2007 by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the festival presents award-winning films by and about people with disabilities in multiple locations throughout the city. Post-screening discussions and other engaging programs bring communities together to explore, discuss, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience. The New York festival is the launching pad for an international program and its selections run satellite ReelAbilities festivals in over 20 cities worldwide. Learn more at ny.reelabilities.org

Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan

Located on 76th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the JCC is a vibrant non-profit community center on the Upper West Side. The cornerstone of progressive programming in Manhattan, the JCC serves over 55,000 people annually through 1,200 programs each season that educate, inspire, and transform participants’ minds, bodies, and spirits. To learn more, visit mmjccm.org

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:

ReelAbilities strives for inclusion of all people. All films are screened with open captions and all venues are wheelchair accessible. ASL interpretation, CART, Audio Description, and information in Braille are available upon advance request. Individuals needing accommodations to participate should contact the screening venue directly.

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SEEfest COMES TO LA

By Mabel Pais

SEEfest, the 2021 South East European Film Festival, April 28-May 5, co-presented by ELMA, foundation for European Languages and Movies in America, has the lineup of official selections for the 16th annual edition of the Los Angeles-based film festival. The Festival continues to provide a platform in the U.S. for the discovery of new talent from South East Europe, presenting and celebrating cinematic and cultural diversity of 18 countries of the Balkans and Caucasus to American audiences.

SEEfest will honor internationally celebrated author Dubravka Ugrešić (“The Age of Skin,” “Baba Yaga Laid an Egg”) with this year’s Legacy Award and Marija Škaričić (“Mare”) and Jasna Djuričić (“Quo Vadis,” “Aida?”) with the film festival’s inaugural Mira Furlan Memorial Acting Award.

A true discovery film festival, this year’s virtual presentation is once again rich with premieres: 2 world premieres, 2 international premieres, 7 North American premieres, and 2 U.S. premieres. Among them are 11 narrative features, 13 documentary features, 15 narrative shorts, 9 documentary shorts, and 6 animation shorts.

SEEfest Executive Director Vera Mijojlić, said, “We are especially excited to host a conversation with our wonderful Legacy Award honoree Dubravka Ugrešić on April 17 and the opportunity to celebrate the great work by Marija Škaričić and Jasna Djuričić, who star in four of our highly anticipated selections, “Mare,” “Breasts,” “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” and “My Morning Laughter” with the inaugural Mira Furlan Memorial Acting Award, celebrating the work of two women who shine in such a prominent way in this year’s film festival.”

TICKETS, UPDATES

For Passes or Tickets, complete film slate and more information,visit: seefilmla.org

SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL (SEEfest)

SEEfest, the South East European Film Festival Los Angeles is a competition festival presenting cinematic and cultural diversity of 18 countries of the Balkans and Caucasus to American audiences. It provides a platform in the U.S. for the discovery of new talent from South East Europe, with a wide selection of films,

art and literary talks, workshops and panels. The film festival serves as the cultural hub and resource for scholars and filmmakers and creates opportunities for cultural exchange between Hollywood industry professionals and filmmakers from South East Europe.

Twice the recipient of the prestigious festival grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and five other awards for programming excellence from the State of California, the festival’s growing list of renowned organizations which now support the festival includes the California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, ELMA Foundation,  Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and more as well as a roster of cultural community partners representing diversity of the State of California. For more information, visit seefilmla.org

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Spirituality, and Health &Wellness)