3rd Annual ReelAbilities: Disabilities Film Festival from February 6-13, 2014

The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia (JCCNV) is excited to present the 3rd Annual ReelAbilities: Disabilities Film Festival from February 6-13, 2014. The festival is the largest national film festival dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with different disabilities. This year, due to strong support by the community, the festival has expanded to include 18 films screened at 19 venues throughout the Greater DC area.  

The JCCNV will kick-off the festival with an opening night screening and reception at the Spectrum Theatre in Arlington on February 6. The evening will feature the film Come As You Are,  a quirky road trip movie about three young men with disabilities on a quest to lose their virginity.  Executive Producer, Asta Philpot,whose true story was the inspiration for the film, will be present at the screening. 

Tickets:  Opening and closing night tickets are $15; all other films $10 general admission, $7 senior (age 60+) and students with ID.  Several movies have complimentary seating available. $5 raffle tickets at opening night film. Visit www.reelabilities.org/greaterdc for details. 

Website:  Complete descriptions of the films, schedules, movie trailers, speakers, special programs, and tickets are available at www.reelabilities.org/greaterdc.

 Find out more from the festival director:     

We truly feel that this festival is most important for the community to become aware and educated that people with disabilities lead ordinary lives and do extraordinary things.  As we say all the time, we are bringing together the community to explore, discuss and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience.  Our closing night film in particular, “Wampler’s Ascent,” is a great family-friendly documentary about Stephen Wampler, who has cerebral palsy, and how he climbs El Capitan mountain in Yosemite National Park.  It is truly an inspirational film that shows that if you put your mind to something, it can be achieved.  He will be joining us from California to speak after the film!  It is so important for people of all ages to understand that having a labeled “disability” does not make you disabled from living the highest quality of life one aims to achieve.  To learn about acceptance at a young age is one of the greatest attributes you can carry around through life.  We hope that by presenting incredible films by and about people of all abilities, in addition to the speakers bringing the audience into meaningful discussions, that ReelAbilities can help accomplish this.

-Reel Abilities festival director, Jessica Tischler, M.Ed, CTRS

Press image: “Wampler’s Ascent”