Disability issues hit the big screen

[Guest guest]

Disability issues hit the big screen

The X'08 festival brings together the best international films by

disabled actors and directors, including comedies, dramas and a

controversial documentary

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/13/disability.filmfestival

The eighth annual London International Disability Film Festival

launches tomorrow at BFI Southbank, featuring four days of films,

documentaries, workshops and seminars from disabled actors and

directors from around the world.

The festival opens with Special People, a comedy about a group of

disabled film-makers directed by Edgar, which originally aired

as a film short at the 2007 festival and has since been made into a

fully-fledged feature.

International titles at the festival include the Italian feature Red

Like the Sky, about a 10-year-old boy sent to boarding school after

being blinded in an accident; A Complete Woman, a documentary

following a woman who has had her legs amputated below the knee; and

the thought provoking documentary I Want to Tell You Something, which

examines an Austrian family who communicate with each other through

sign language even though only one of their twin sons is deaf.

There is also a landmark outing for the powerful drama The Silent

Twins, which has languished in the BBC vaults since it was originally

shown on television over 20 years ago. After this screening, Marjorie

Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane and author

of the book on which the film is based, will participate in a Q & A

session.

Festival co-organiser , who has worked as a screenwriter

and is currently employed by London Disability Arts Forum, has spoken

of the motivation behind the festival: " While we had worked in the

industry, we were aware that a great number of talented actors,

writers and directors are overlooked because they have a disability.

This festival provides an opportunity to screen their work to a

mainstream audience, as well as the chance to show films about issues

that don't usually make it to cinemas. "

Having worked with the BFI Southbank on improving physical access in

the newly refurbished BFI building, the festival's organisers also

aim to ensure the films are accessible to people with sensory

impairments. Each film and event will be soft-titled, audio-

described, British Sign Language interpreted and/or transcribed

(Palantype), as appropriate.

" This is a logistical challenge as we're having to recruit several

sign language interpreters for each event – as signers need to rotate

every 20 minutes or so, " explains. " But of course, it is

entirely in keeping with the spirit of the festival. It's about

showcasing talented disabled actors and film-makers, but it's also

about ensuring that the films are made accessible to as wide an

audience as possible " .

The festival has already run into controversy, after Bafta refused

last week to screen one of the selected films as part of a gala

event. The Last American Freak Show, a road movie-style documentary

about a group of disabled artists who are unafraid to flaunt their

disability, had been Kinkead's selection for a screening at the

culmination of the festival. But a statement released by Bafta claims

that the controversial film failed to meet the event's " pre-agreed

criteria " , a decision which Kinkead claimed had left him " just

terribly disappointed and saddened. "

The festival closes with work by Bonnie Sherr Klein, a renowned

feminist film-maker, best known for her controversial documentary Not

a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. In 1987 she suffered a

brainstem stroke and her film, Shameless: the Art of Disability,

reveals her life following this stroke and her passion for a new

cause.