An exhibit of patient/resident artwork from Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital & Nursing Facility, Roosevelt Island. Paintings display various techniques and subject matter, expressing the artists’ inner voice and speaking to the therapeutic and rehabilitative value of art.

On view Feb 9-14
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Click View Schedule for locations

Join filmmakers, actors, and special guests for dinner & conversation, as we share excerpts from CINEMABILITY, a documentary film-in-progress by Jenni Gold, and discuss the ever-changing portrayals of disability in film, TV and advertising, over a non-traditional Shabbat Dinner. Featured guests: Geri Jewell (The Facts of Life, Deadwood, Alcatraz), Danny Woodburn (Seinfeld), and Mitch Longley (Las Vegas, Judging Amy) . Additional guest filmmakers and actors to be announced.

$28 General Admission
$50 Filmmaker Table

Advance registration required (by Feb. 7). Click here for Tickets.
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The festival’s closing night event will feature a screening of Academy Award Nominee Susan Seidelman’s (Desperately Seeking Susan, She Devil, and more) recent dance romance MUSICAL CHAIRS, followed by a closing night reception and dance party.
About the film:
A romantic tale about two New Yorkers, Armando from the Bronx and Mia from the East Side, and their love of ballroom dancing. Mia is a vivacious professional dancer but a tragic accident forever changes her life. True to his heart, Armando dedicates himself, along with a group of colorful misfits, to help Mia deal with her challenges and dance once more. (Susan Seidelman / USA / English / 100 min).
Admission: $18
Click for tickets

Pushing her physically integrated work beyond conventional boundaries, Heidi Latsky offers a preview of “Somewhere.” Wildly different renditions of “Over the Rainbow,” a song so easily misconstrued in the context of disability, propel a celebration of physical virtuosity, movement, invention and the sheer joy of dancing. Also included will be an excerpt from work-in-progress “SOLO COUNTERSOLO” featuring original music by Chris Brierley. Performance will be followed by a discussion with the artists.

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

An interactive “autism friendly” concert featuring a performance by renowned Broadway stars. Open for individuals with autism and their families. Advance registration required.
Click here to register

Join us for the Official Opening Night Celebration of The 4th Annual ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival, featuring a screening of OCEAN HEAVEN, followed by an exclusive Opening Night Reception with guest filmmakers and honorees. 
About the film:
Jet Li, in his first dramatic role, stars in this moving story of a father’s tireless love for his autistic son and his attempt to teach his son the life skills necessary to survive on his own. A poignant tribute to parents’ infinite love for their children. (Xiao Lu Xue / China / Mandarin / 96 min).
Admission: $18
Click here for tickets

Presentation by award-winning photographer Rick Guidotti, who has spent the past fourteen years working internationally to change societal attitudes towards individuals living with genetic difference. Rick is the founder and director of Positive Exposure, an innovative arts, education and advocacy organization which utilizes the visual arts to significantly impact the fields of genetics, mental health and human right.

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Join us for Read Aloud story hour at NY Public Library branches, featuring disability-themed children’s books in multiple libraries from February 9th through 14th. Click here for schedule and locations.

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

More opportunities to enjoy ReelAbilities exceptional films throughout the month of February at the Mid-Manhattan Public Library and at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

At the Guggenheim:
Girlfriend, Aglaee, and Don’t Want to Go Back Alone
Friday, February 3 @ 1:00 pm

The Straight Line, Sound Shadows, and 10:4 (Ten to Four)
Friday, February 10 @ 11:00 am

Musical Chairs
Friday, February 10 @ 2:00 pm

Mabul (The Flood)
Friday, February 17 @ 1:00 pm

Body and Soul
Friday, February 17 @ 3:00 pm

Click here for details

At the Mid-Manhattan Public Library:

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2012
2 p.m. “War Eagle, Arkansas”, Color, 90 minutes, 2007, directed by Robert Milazzo

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2012
2 p.m. “Defining Beauty: Ms. Wheelchair America”, Color, 78 minutes, 2011, directed by Alexis Ostrander

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2012
2 p.m. “The Straight Line (La ligne droite)”, Color, 98 minutes, 2011, directed by Régis Wargnier. In French with English subtitles.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2012
2 p.m. “Warrior Champions”, Color, 80 minutes, 2009, directed by Craig Renaud and Brent Renaud

Click here for details

Elaine Hall, author and founder of The Miracle Project, discusses her newly published book Seven Keys to Unlock Autism (Elaine Hall and Diane Isaacs, Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2011). When traditional therapies failed to help her autistic son, Hall sought out creative people—actors, writers, and teachers—to work with him. The methods Elaine developed to reach kids with autism resulted in The Miracle Project and were profiled in the HBO documentary, Autism: The Musical.