Captivating, stereotype-busting material centered on the theme of disability often comes in the form of poignant documentaries (although the possibilities are endless in this genre, we recommend checking out Sound and Fury and 2003 Sundance favorite My Flesh and Blood). When it comes to feature films, it may take you a while to cite more than a few decent offerings that revolve around a character with a disability or a theme of disability. The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD) kindly speeds up the thinking process with a list of notable films which include What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, My Left Foot, Freaks, Philadelphia, and Memento (that’s right, it’s classified as a “hidden disability” film where the main character has “retrograde amnesia due to a traumatic brain injury”). Although awareness has certainly been around and is growing, disability subject matter and themes are still all too rare in the film industry.

Fortunately, the Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival returns in its fourth year to celebrate the art of disability visibility in film and to ensure that awareness is thriving. The festival will run the weekend of October 19th at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and will feature the films Coming Home, The Station Agent, and Blindscape (the selections feature war veteran disabilities, dwarfism, and blindness, respectively).

In its fourth year, the festival is adding on a first--a competition for the best disability film made by students. The two best films from each division--secondary school and college--will not only win cash prizes, they will also be screened at the festival. There is a page dedicated to the rules and guidelines, but registration and submissions must be in my September 7th. That means interested student filmmakers still have more than two weeks to get it all together. It’s the perfect chance to have fun, compete, entertain, and enlighten. Plus, what student wouldn’t want to tell their friends that their film is screening at the Alamo Drafthouse?

Cinema Touching Disability Student Filmmaker Competition
Deadline: September 7th
[Entry Rules and Guidelines]

CTD's Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival
October 19th and 20th
Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)
[More Information]

Photo from The Station Agent Official Site