July is Disability Pride Month and through a collaboration of municipalities in Hampshire County, there will be a Disability Pride Month Film Festival scattered throughout the month.
Led by collaboration from the Northampton Disability Commission, the Amherst Commission for Persons with Disabilities and the Easthampton Commission on Disability, a free film festival focused on celebrating Disability Pride Month kicked off in Easthampton on July 5 with a showing of “Patrice,” a documentary on marriage inequalities and the right of people with disabilities to have marriage equality.
Northampton Disability Commission Chair Amy Sugihara told Reminder Publishing the first of three showings set the tone for what is expected to be a unique celebration throughout the month for disability pride.
“‘Patrice’ was an amazing film. It was powerful, heartfelt and informative,” said Sugihara. “We had a robust, connecting conversation after the film. I appreciate Angelique Baker, the chair, as well as the entire Easthampton Commission on Disability, the mayor of Easthampton and the Marigold Theater for bringing this film into the community.”
This was the first collaboration of these commissions in celebration of disability pride month. Two years ago, the Northampton Disability Commission showed a film as an event during the month and last year focused on an online resource fair and brought in speakers for the public.
Sugihara explained that when brainstorming what to do this year, this collaboration was quickly born.
“Hopefully, as we do the three films in our respective towns, it will reach a wider audience so that people from different communities will go to all of the films hopefully. It feels really celebratory as well as a time to raise awareness about some of the struggles that people with disabilities face in our disabling world, so to speak,” said Sugihara. “This is celebration and this struggle is universal. So, to join with two other communities only strengthens that effort and that connection only raises everyone up so it’s been fabulous.”
The second showing was on Wednesday, July 16 at the Bangs Community Center in Amherst. The film they showed was “The Ride Ahead,” another documentary about a 21-year-old living with a disability as he navigates society and structures as he is trying to launch and live independently.
The third film selected for the festival, “Tallywacker,” will be shown on Tuesday, July 29 at the Northampton Senior Center from 3:30-5:30 p.m. The film is a rock and roll buddy comedy about two bandmates whose relationship gets tested when one of them gets a gig touring with a major rock star.
One of the movie’s leads is Northampton City Councilor Jeremy Dubs who also co-wrote the film and has been an advocate for disability rights in Northampton for years as a disabled resident of the city for almost 20 years. Dubs is set to be in attendance for this showing and for a Q&A afterwards.
“As three groups we didn’t say here are the goals for the film, so each commission decided on what film they would show. But in the end, I think its worked out really well because as I said, Disability Pride Month is a time to recognize the accomplishments and the contributions of people with disabilities, and it’s also a time to pay attention to the struggle and inequalities that people with disabilities face day in and day out, and so the films do those things,” said Sugihara.
All showings feature closed captioning, ASL interpretation, audio descriptions and wheelchair accessible venues. Sugihara added she hopes word continues to spread on this opportunity to highlight and celebrate Disability Pride Month throughout Hampshire County.
“We’re trying to get the word out to as many people as possible because theses films are for everybody. We want everybody to come. People with disabilities and people without disabilities. They are meant to be community events so we hope that everyone will see them and think ‘that’s a fun summer thing to do.’ The Northampton Disability Commission, and I know the other two commissions, are really excited to host these films,” said Sugihara.
She continued, “And I want to underline that we are all better off when all people can participate fully in life. We all benefit from each other’s humanity, knowing each other, connecting with each other. And right now, systems and structures don’t take people with disabilities into consideration oftentimes, and so that negatively affects everybody. And so, to bring that to the forefront I think it is really important if folks haven’t considered that. Disability rights are truly human rights and so I think this month is a time to celebrate, but also a time to reflect and for all of us to continue to show up and to make change in our world.”
For more information and access requests, interested attendees can email adacoordinator@northamptonma.gov.
