Superfest International Disability Film Festival


SUPERFEST XXV WINNERS

Congratulations to this year's award winners!

The following contains a list, description, and screening schedule of the award winners of SUPERFEST XXV (2005). If you have questions about this year's festival, or would like an e-mail or hard copy of the screening schedule, please contact us at [email protected]

Superfest XXV Award Winner's List


Best of Festival

Achievement Awards

Merit Awards

Audience Access Awards

Spirit Award

 

Description of Award Winners

( CC= CLOSED CAPTIONED; OC= OPEN CAPTIONED; AD= AUDIO DESCRIBED)

BEST OF FESTIVAL: Happy Birthday Thalidomide

This is the latest documentary brainchild of Mat Fraser, actor, filmmaker and one of England's most prominent "thalidomide babies". As writer and on-screen narrator, Fraser scores his second Best of Festival bulls-eye--his first was 2003's Born Freak--with his passionate and witty around-the-world journey "in search of the true thalidomide story". Fraser takes a caustic look back at what happened more than 40 years ago when European drug companies released thalidomide internationally without adequate testing, and takes a compassionate look forward to Brazil, where today, the drug is showing promise as a treatment for people with leprosy. Produced by Kim Flitcroft, Happy Birthday Thalidomide, at 48 minutes, is that rare documentary that succeeds as both an eloquent personal journey and a provocative cultural critique.

BEST OF FESTIVAL: Whole-A Trinity of Being

Sharing SUPERFEST Best of Festival honors is South African artist Shelley Barry's impressionistic trilogy of shorts, Whole-A Trinity of Being. Disabled from an act of violence, Barry, who is a former disability media campaign manager for the South African government, makes a stunning film debut as writer, director and performer with this mesmerizing gem that looks at life after the bullet. Using vibrant imagery and a haunting score to evoke her physical and psychological transformation, Barry captures the power of non-narrative cinema with a work that is both deeply affecting and intensely personal. Produced by Barry, with Mili Bonilla and Stephanie Garoian, Whole-A Trinity of Being is a breathtaking 16 minutes of visual magic.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Fragile X Family
Produced by Eric Kutner, this remarkable 11 minute documentary offers a rarely seen and unflinching look at a family with X syndrome (a hereditary genetic disorder that causes cognitive impairment) who are striving to survive in urban America. Eloquent in its deceptive simplicity, Fragile X Family works like a Polaroid picture, revealing itself in a progressive, uninterrupted manner. When we think we have the details sorted out, the picture moves forward, without prejudice, urging us to follow this unique family.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Spit it Out
Laced with humor, this 55 minute documentary produced by Jeff Shames and Jonathan Skurnik, is a complex, absorbing and frequently revelationary ride that follows Shames as he attempts to uncover the roots of his stuttering. Shames' willingness to keep the camera rolling as he discovers thorny truths about his family history, makes this story emotionally rich and, at times, unsettling, but always compelling viewing.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Viviendo de Nuevo con Dano Medular (Living with a New Spinal Cord Injury) OC
This gritty, no holds barred 28 minute documentary is a peer-to-peer guide for how to survive a spinal cord injury in a developing country where there is little access to advanced medical treatment or technologies. Produced by Peter Brauer with a team from Projimo, a community based rehabilitation program run by disabled people in rural, northern Mexico, Viviendo de Nuevo con Dano presents it's information with powerful and, sometimes, startling images. A serious educational resource dealing with some harsh realities, the tone is never dour or downbeat, but instead, engages us with its lively survivor spirit. (In Spanish, subtitled in English).

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:Beyond Disability: the Fefe Stories OC;AD
Produced by a group of young females (Fefe’s) with various disabilities who are involved in a mentoring program in Chicago, this 26 minute documentary explores their lives with gusto, humor and attitude. Director Salome Chasnoff keeps the pace as lively as her engaging young women subjects. The Fefe’s interweave their personal stories with stats about disability and take to the streets to check out people's attitudes. Beyond Disability: the FeFe Stories, fresh, fun and empowering, is also the recipient of the Spirit of SUPERFEST Award, given to an outstanding film in which a disabled person plays a significant role in the production.

MERIT AWARD: Funny, You Don't Look Sick
Producer Susan Abod takes an almost real time approach to her in depth chronicle of a woman living with the little understood (and frequently disparaged) Chronic Fatigue Immune Dificiency Syndrome (CFIDS). This 1 hour and 4 minute slice of life documentary shows the impact on day-to-day activities and the measures that need to be taken when someone lives with severe chemical sensitivities and environmental allergies.

MERIT AWARD: Night Swimming
San Francisco fimmaker John R. Killacky gives us another stunning short, an evocative and poetic reflection on life with chronic pain and an unpredictable disability. Always innovative and a risk-taker, Killacky manages, in just 4 minutes, to take us into the deep heart of a profound struggle.

MERIT AWARD: Self Preservation; the Art of Riva Lehrer OC
Sharon Snyder's 38 minute gallery tour of artist Riva Lehrer's exquisite portraits shines a sharp focus on her incredible series, "The Circle Stories", devoted to friends and mentors who are all disabled artists, scholars and activists. Each extraordinary portrait is shown in depth with fascinating insights provided by the artist and her portrait subjects. Lehrer is a major talent and significant disability cultural artist; this is a rare opportunity to revel in her gifts.

MERIT AWARD: Youth Speaks segment from KQED's series SPARK CC
This entertaining 12 minute 20 second segment from KQED's Bay Area weekly arts magazine SPARK introduces us to the slammin' world of slam poetry. Produced by Howard Shack and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), this segment of the PBS series follows two young poets involved in the local Youth Speaks, program as they prepare and then compete in a regional slam where winners earn the chance to go on to the nationals. Full of passion and promise, these talented poets, one of whom is Emiliano Borgois-Chacon, a local teenager with cerebral palsy, will have you cheering and wanting more.

MERIT AWARD: Assistive Technology Boogie OC; AD
This 3 minute short produced by Jim Tobias uses computer pop-up animation and a catchy musical score to present a lighthearted "wish list" for the ideal assistive technology: "Make it rugged, tough, and sexy; make it trendy..." Also an Audience Access Award winner, Assistive Technology Boogie, with its fast pace, quirky images and snappy humor, makes learning about assistive technologies, like captioning and augmentative communication, fun and easy for people of all ages.

SPIRIT AWARD:Beyond Disability: the Fefe Stories OC
Produced by a group of young females (Fefe’s) with various disabilities who are involved in a mentoring program in Chicago, this 26 minute documentary explores their lives with gusto, humor and attitude. Director Salome Chasnoff keeps the pace as lively as her engaging young women subjects. The Fefe’s interweave their personal stories with stats about disability and take to the streets to check out people's attitudes. Beyond Disability: the FeFe Stories, fresh, fun and empowering, is also the recipient of the Spirit of SUPERFEST Award, given to an outstanding film in which a disabled person plays a significant role in the production.

AUDIENCE ACCESS AWARD:Freedom Machines CC; AD
The Audience Access Award is given for excellence in film captioning and audio description to ensure maximum accessibility to individuals with hearing and visual disabilities, while not interfering with others' film enjoyment. Judges named two winners, both dealing with the impact of technology on the lives of people with disabilities. The first, Freedom Machines, a 57 minute documentary produced by Janet Cole, looks at how assistive computer technology can help fulfill a diverse range of educational, employment, and personal goals.

AUDIENCE ACCESS AWARD: Assistive Technology Boogie OC; AD
This 3 minute short produced by Jim Tobias uses computer pop-up animation and a catchy musical score to present a lighthearted "wish list" for the ideal assistive technology: "Make it rugged, tough, and sexy; make it trendy..." Also an Audience Access Award winner, Assistive Technology Boogie, with its fast pace, quirky images and snappy humor, makes learning about assistive technologies, like captioning and augmentative communication, fun and easy for people of all ages.

For additional information on the films and producers, please contact us at [email protected].

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