Superfest: The International Disability Film Festival

October 20, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

• Journey to the Miracle Man (documentary feature, Sweden/Brazil, 2018): With as much hope as doubt, Fabian and Lisa travel on a journey that will change their worldview. But is the Miracle Man (John of God) the savior everyone is talking about? And do they need to believe to be healed?
• Stopgap in Stop Motion (animated short, U.K., 2017): Photographs of performers in a disabled and non-disabled dance company come to life. The individual artists dance out of the photos and across table tops until the whole company meets and performs in unison.
• This Is Normal (dramatic short, U.S., 2014): A young deaf woman undergoes an experimental medical procedure that is supposed to “cure” her of her deafness and give her the ability to hear. Despite the controversy, Gwen risks her friends, culture and identity to discover the answer to the question, “Is it worth giving up who you've been for who you could become?”
• Kū Kanaka/Stand Tall (documentary short, U.S., 2016): When 15-year-old Kanalu Young takes a dive into shallow water, he becomes quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. Angry and defiant through months of rehabilitation, he begins to change when he learns the Hawaiian language, and discovers an untold story of Hawaiian history.

October 20, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

• To Know Him (dramatic short, U.K., 2018): When a tragic accident leaves Sarah grieving for her deaf partner Rob, she is forced to track down and engage with his estranged hearing father. To lay the man she loves to rest, Sarah must overcome a barrier far greater than language.
• Just Go! (action short, Latvia, 2017): Inspired by the true story about a young man, Just, who lost both of his legs in a childhood accident. At age 24, he is in love with the girl next door, and through an action-packed series of events, the film proves that looks can be deceiving.
• Stim (documentary short, U.S., 2017): An artistic ode to the practice of stimming, or self-stimulatory behavior, the repetition of physical movements or sounds, or repetitive movement of objects. Winner of the P.K. Walker Innovation in Craft Award.
• Who Am I to Stop It? (documentary short, U.S., 2017): This semi-observational documentary explores isolation, art and transformation after brain injury. Through cinéma vérité, the film follows Dani Sanderson, a poet and beat boxer as she navigates autonomy, relationships and questions of family, queer sexuality and faith. Winner of the Disability Justice Award.
• Stumped (documentary short, U.S., 2017): Climber Maureen Beck is not here to be your inspiration. She was born missing her lower left arm, but that hasn’t stopped her from going hard. “I don’t want to just be a good one-armed climber,” she says. “I want to be a good climber.” Winner of Best of Festival, Short.

October 21, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Contemporary Jewish Museum

• Still Tomorrow (documentary feature, China, 2016): Yu Xiuhua is a village woman with cerebral palsy, who became China’s most well-known poet in 2015. Her 20-year-long arranged marriage has become the biggest pain in her life. Through her poems, she contemplates her fate and writes about her body and her desire for true love. Winner of Best of Festival, Feature.
• Gaelynn Lea – The Songs We Sing (documentary short, U.S., 2017): Minnesota violinist and disability rights advocate Gaelynn Lea travels the upper Midwest on tour, experiencing the ups and downs of the road while hustling hard to make it as a performer and artist.
• Making Waves (documentary short, Australia, 2017): Max McAuley is a young, professional dancer with Down Syndrome. In this story, Max is the principal dancer in a choreographed work that is inspired by the watery world of his dreams.

Links

• Longmore Institute on Disability
• LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
• Contemporary Jewish Museum

Sponsors

• Telecare Corporation
• Guide Dogs for the Blind
• Dr. Marcy Adelman
• Disability Rights Advocates
• Kawakami, Barron and Lam LLP
• Gatepath
• Contemporary Jewish Museum

Foundation support

• George Lucas Family Foundation
• Zellerbach Family Foundation
• Neda Nobari Foundation
• Golden Gate Regional Foundation

Image: A troupe of disabled and non-disabled dancers from Stopgap in Stop Motion.