FEATURE FILMS
4 Deaf Yorkshiremen Go To Blackpool, director: Louis Neethling, Great Britain 2014, 28 min.
Four grumpy old deaf men from Yorkshire travel to Blackpool for a deaf event, but their holiday starts to go wrong when they meet a group of young deaf men.
Ghadi, director: Amin Dora, Lebanon 2013, 100 min.
In a small neighborhood of a traditional Lebanese coastal town, Leba ,a music instructor, marries his childhood sweetheart Lara. To the dismay of his family, neighbors, and friends, he has a first baby girl and then a second one. Lara is pregnant for the third time and yes, it’s a BOY! However, medical tests show that the boy will have special needs. Will Leba and Lara keep the baby? Will little Ghadi become a burden on the family; or its pride and joy? Expect strange phenomena to affect the behavior and beliefs of that little town’s population.
Carte blanche, director: Jacek Lusiński, Poland 2014, 106 min.
Based on a true story Carte Blanche is a drama about a high school history teacher who decides to hide a progressive eyesight loss from everyone surrounding him – his colleagues, pupils, even the ones who really care about him, because of the fear of losing his job and trying to save his dignity
Idiots, director: Fran Estévez, Spain 2014, 35 min.
A red balloon descends from sky and lands in the magical city of Santiago de Compostela. A smiling boy and his dog find the balloon and discover that it has a note with a message: Deflate me little by little...
The Tribe, director: Myrosław Słaboszpycki, Ukraine 2014, 130 min.
Sergey is a transfer student at a deaf school and new to the city. He quickly gets sucked into a life of crime and works his way up the rigid hierarchy. He falls in love with Anna which is in violation of the gang’s rigid code, and the two quickly find themselves in mortal danger. Without subtitles or dialogue, the film enters the sanctuary of a school for the deaf and observes a society with its own rules. As silence prevails, the cry of the heroes sounds even more desperate.
The Bélier Family, director: Eric Lartigau, France 2014, 106 min.
In the Bélier family, everyone is deaf, except 16-year-old Paula. She acts as an indispensable interpreter for her parents and younger brother, especially in the running of the family dairy farm.
The Finishers, director: Nils Tavernier, France/Belgium 2013, 86 min.
At 17 years old, Julien has a great sense of humor, bags of charm, and cerebral palsy. In a bid to bond with his father, Julien challenges him to participate with him in the Ironman race in Nice, France, a triathlon in which his father has previously competed. Doing the race alone is an incredible challenge, but completing it together with Julien would be nearly impossible. Still, his father agrees and the two set out to train for and compete in one of the most intense races on earth. Beyond the sporting exploit, this is the story of one family’s exemplary journey, and a moving portrait of the love between a father and his son.
The Human Mirror, director: Marc Nadal, Spain 2014, 15 min.
Based on a real story. A 17-year-old girl with social anxiety has hardly any contact with the outside world. Never leaving her home she watches the cruelties being reported on the news every day, bringing her mind closer and closer to the dangerous nature of society.
DOCUMENTARY FILMS
The Wingless Bird, director: Sergei Andrienko, Ukraine 2014, 20 min.
When Natasha was born with physical disabilities, she was abandoned by her parents and left in the hospital. Today the young woman lives in a nursing home which seems like a norm in our society. Solitude does not always end when you find someone to share it with – sometimes, solitude just begins at that moment. You can break that feeling by creating a new meaning of your or someone else's life. Natasha found this meaning in colors, paints, and brushes.
Casa Blanca, director: Aleksandra Maciuszek, Poland 2015, 62 min.
Casa Blanca is a forgotten town situated at the entrance of La Habana’s bay. The film tells the story of Nelsa – a 76-year-old woman, partially paralyzed and sick, and his son Vladimir, a 36-year-old man with a Down Syndrome who takes care of her. Their relationship is not free from conflicts.
The Silent Chaos, director: Antonio Spanò, Italy 2013, 45 min.
North Kivu, Democratic Republic Of Congo. After a bloody civil war that lasted for years, Congolese society has lost its identity. However, archaic superstitions and magical beliefs are the only elements left which still bring the population together. These forces guide the defense of the territory led by Mai-Mai rebels, but they also make people consider those who are different as a threat, just like what happens to the deaf in Butembo. This is the story of those who have no voice and no hope, but who keep struggling for their own dignity, not willing to resign to unhappiness.
Come On Alek, director: Monika Skrzypczak, Poland 2015, 10 min.
Alek is 26 years old. 5 years ago his life changed dramatically. Doctors diagnosed a brain tumor. During one of the operations Alek went into a coma. His chances of survival were very weak. After a year there was a miracle, Alek started reacting to exterior stimuli. However, this was the beginning of his road. Long and tedious rehabilitation, hours spent exercising and first and foremost Alek’s determination led to his big independence. Today, even though he moves in a wheelchair, he takes part in marathons and trains rugby, but most importantly he makes his dreams come true, because as he says there are no impossible things.
Goran, director: Roberto Santaguida, Serbia 2014, 10 min.
An intimate look at the despair and joy, the hope and pride in achieving loneliness and friendliness, as felt by Goran Gostojić of Novi Sad.
Guma Harder Than Rock, director: Izabela Szukalska, Poand 2015, 12 min.
8 years ago on the slope of the mountain called Świnica something important took place, maybe the most important thing in Artur's (nickname Gum)and Oktawiusz's life. The first one raised his hand in a gesture that made him a hero. The second one thanks to that gesture is still alive.
Inspiring Silence, director: Barbara Jendrzejczyk, Poland 2014, 12 min.
Inspiring silence is a story about Krystian Foltyniewicz, who is fascinated by Michael Jackson. Krystian is deaf-mute, but despite that he is a great dancer. He picks up music through vibrations. The fact that the vivid figure of the King of Pop inspires him so much is also a result of the silence that he grew up in. His childhood wasn’t easy and that influenced his fascination in the entirely different, mythical world of Jackson. Krystian designs and sews his own stage outfits, weaves tapestries and is learning to dance. He is a perfect example of a person who, despite difficulties and disability, handles everyday life perfectly well. To him, the world of silence that encompasses him is the greatest inspiration to further action.
What About This Life?, director: Sylwia Michałowska, Poland 2015, 18 min.
Krystyna Sienkiewicz – an 80-year-old theatre and film actress who is known as having a sense of humour and being optimistic. In spring she was supposed to celebrate sixty years of her artistic work. However, the preparations for the celebrations were interrupted with a stroke. The actress is still fighting to come back to a normal life and stage. She thanks for everything she has with a smile. She exercises patiently, writes a book, makes small masterpieces despite the fact that for 30 years she has seen only in 15 per cent.
Jennis, director: Aisha Roberson, Holland 2015, 27 min.
Filmmaker Aisha Roberson follows her brother Jennis (22) on his first uninhibited steps on the path of love. Methodically he searches for the perfect woman, with red lips. Jennis was born with Williams-Beuren syndrome, which manifests itself in him having perfect pitch, being mentally challenged and above-average social skills. In addition Jennis has an overpowering fascination for everything that spins. Will Jennis find a girl that suits him?
The Queen Of Silence, director: Agnieszka Zwiefka, Poland 2014, 80 min.
The film tells the story of a 10-year- old deaf gypsy girl, living at an illegal settlement in Poland. As the whole community faces the threat of eviction, brutal attacks from the neighbours and extreme poverty – Denisa tries to find her own way to deal with the hardships of everyday life. One day, going through the local dumpsters in search of clothes and wood, Denisa finds a box of Bollywood films. Ever since fascinated by the glamourous world she sees on a small TV (whenever her parents can afford fuel as there is no electricity at the settlement) Denisa is making her own Bollywood clothes and rehearsing dance choreographies until she reaches perfection. Day by day she brings other kids from the settlement into her magic world.
My Favourite Leg, director: Coni Martin, Canada 2014, 10 min.
Have you ever wondered what life would be like with only one leg? My Favourite Leg tells the inspiring story of the perseverance and determination of one person who lives with that reality every day. Diagnosed with fibular hemimelia, Andrea Holmes’ leg was amputated below the knee when she was 6 months old, yet she succeeded as a Para-Olympian athlete and an international champion for Canada in track and field.
My Dad’s a Rocker, director: Zuxin Huo, China 2014, 29 min.
It’s a documentary about the first generation of Chinese rockers. A 60 year- old Hou is one of the first generation Chinese rockers back in 80s. In 2010, Hou had a stroke and wasn’t able to speak for a long time. After three years of recovery, he is ready to compose again. The rock song he composes will be dedicated to his youth hood and his illness. He names it: Live Like a Fucking Moron. Many things have changed since 1980s, but is there anything that will never change? For those Chinese rockers, no matter how old they are, Rock and Roll will always be their way of living, and they will always share the same Rock Spirit.
The Mural, director: Fran Guijarro, USA 2014, 20 min.
The Mural is a documentary film following the stories of several artists with developmental disabilities from non-profit The Arc San Francisco as they work together with a group of civic artists from Free Space to paint a wall that aims to erase barriers. The film explores the unlimited nature of Art and its capacity to express freedom, even for those individuals whose lives seem to be confined to the boundaries of their disabilities.
Shoulder The Lion, director: Erinnisse i Patryk Rębisz, USA/Poland 2015, 74 min.
Using stories of three artists who have lost a sense defining their art, this visual essay explores the meaning of images, fragility of memories and desire for relevance in today's world. A photographer, who is blind, questions the power of images in today's visually saturated culture. Forced to give up his dream of playing music due to his advancing hearing loss, a musician must reinvent his future. A painter who lost half her brain, who was also the inspiration for the Academy Award winning film Million Dollar Baby searches for her place in life unsure of what she should be to the world. The film attempts to ask what it takes for someone to keep on going in times of uncertainty, and uses unique film form to produce the answers.
Never Shall I Complain, director: Okan Avci, Turkey 2015, 13 min.
A page from the life of Türkan, an independent but visually impaired public sector worker, and her first experience of scuba diving accompanied by music.
The Optimists, director: Gunhild Magnor, Sweden/Norway 2013, 92 min.
The Optimists are a volleyball team of women in Hamar, Norway, aged 66 to 98. They practice weekly, but have not played a match for 30 years. Now there is finally a match, but who is the other team? According to a rumor, it’s a group of handsome Swedish gentlemen across the border.
Sins Invalid, director: Patty Berne, USA 2013, 32 min.
Sins Invalid is a documentary about a performance project that celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and queer / gender-variant artists. Since 2006, its performances have explored sexuality, beauty, and the disabled body. Sins Invalid is an entryway into the taboo topic of sexuality and disability, manifesting a new paradigm – disability justice.
Szpila, director: Ewa Golis, Poland 2014, 30 min.
Agnieszka Szpila is a single mother of seven-year-old girls who were diagnosed with autism. Szpila never has never given up, repeatedly she has written on her blog that girls would be fine finally. Despite the difficult situation, Agnieszka has a lot of energy, is active professionally, sings the white vote, takes part in amateur theater, has a social life and is very attractive. At some point in her and the girls’ life there is a chance: a new diagnosis of Helena and Milena, and for Szpila a chance for love.
Tadeusz Głowala, director: Ireneusz Bukowski, Poland 2013, 22 min.
A film about a self-generated artist Tadeusz Głowala, a representative of Polish art brut. Tadeusz Głowala has been living and working in a nursing home Nad Jarem in Miszewo Murowane since 1966. His artwork – painting and sculpture – is characterized by sacral and folk motives which are often transformed into geometric forms.
It’s Not The End Of The Road, director: Robert Czyżewicz, Jarosław Frankowski, Sebastian Korczak, Poland 2015, 55 min.
Disability, injury, fatal disease. Everyone wants to live in full health and strength. Among other things, to pursue their passions, dreams, set more goals and achieve them. Unfortunately, life is not always like we want. One moment and everything changes. An accident, a heart attack, a sudden illness and everything starts from scratch. Is this the end of our dreams? We want to show that it isn’t. We want to show that the accident does not end any way. That passion can be carried further, more – must continue to pursue passions, because they allow you to get back to a normal life. For this reason, in September 2014 we went on a trip to Romania, specially Transfagarasan Highway and Transalpine. We traveled 2500 km by antique motorcycles: K-750 with sidecar and Junak. We brought the power of memories, energy stocks for the next challenge and the testimony that this road never ends...
Do You Believe In Love?, director: Dan Wasserman, Israel 2013, 50 min.
Her body is paralyzed and she doesn’t believe in love, but Tova, the Matchmaker, tirelessly strives to find love for everybody else…
AMATEUR FILMS
A Hat Full of Ideas, direction Gliwicki Klub Filmowy Wrota/Gliwice Film Club ‘Gate’/, Gliwice, 10 minutes
Love and Be Loved, director Sylwia Pradelok-Świerc, Chorzów, 10 minutes
A Shy Flower of Love, director Maciej Książko, Kraków, 4 minutes
At a Stall, direction Zespół Akcja Animacja /Action Animation Group/, Szczecinek, 4 minutes
Our Conversation, director Mieczysław Krzel, Warszawa, 10 minutes
A Terrible Garden Knight, direction DPS, Legnickie Pole, 4 minutes
Words, direction Świetlica Wiejska /Country Clubhouse/, Nowa Wieś Legnicka, 3 minutes