Film festival analyzes themes of disability

By: Attila Berry

Posted: 10/18/04

Sometimes, it hurts to laugh.

Students, professors and community members - some in wheelchairs, a few on crutches and others with autism - came together to view and discuss four major films and other film shorts all dealing with comedy and disability for the film festival "Laughing with Us" this weekend in the Hall of Languages.

The three-day film festival, sponsored by the Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee, and many other organizations, included popular movies, television shows, documentaries and artistic films. BCCC started the film festival last year when the group hosted a different film every Monday night of the fall semester.

They wanted to include disability as a part of diversity and worked to educate the public and Syracuse University students about the stereotypes surrounding disability in popular media. This year, the group focused its attention and its time on a weekend film session about how comedy and disability can go hand in hand.

"I think this year's is a little more progressive because the idea of disability humor is about resistance in a lot of ways," said Zach Rossetti, a doctoral student and a member of BCCC.

On Saturday, audience members watched the new documentary "Autism is a World," and its director, Gerardine Wurzburg, attended the festival. Wurzburg won an Oscar for the film "Educating Peter" in 1992.

The autistic members of the audience participated in the discussion through interpreters, facilitated typing machines and electronic voices. Their discussion evolved into a debate, chorused by people typing.

"It's so important for the public to be educated about us, and this film is terrific," said Jenn Seybert, an autistic student, about the documentary, "Autism is a World." "We are who we are, and life has to roll with us."

"Autism is a World" describes the life of Sue Rubin, an autistic woman who, for the first 13 years of her life, was considered mentally disabled. She began communicating through a technique called facilitated communication that uses keyboards and instructors to help autistic people express their thoughts through writing. She went from testing at a 29 IQ level to 133 IQ level, and the film tracked her through her daily life, going to college, hanging out with friends and family and having fun at horse races.

In reaction to the film, Pentzell, with the help of his facilitator, typed out a message for Wurzburg.

"Gerry, I kiss you in spirit for taking on this topic," Pentzell said, eliciting great laughs from the crowd.

This year's festival also included television episodes from "South Park" and "Malcolm in the Middle" and popular films such as "Stuck on You" and "50 First Dates." It also included a Saturday morning session for children, ages four to 12, in the community with cartoons featuring disability issues.

In total, about 500 people attended the festival, many of whom left with a better understanding of people with disabilities.

"I'm very glad I went in," said Rob Lescarbeau, a drama and English teacher at Fulton High School. "I was happier that it wasn't just about discussing disabilities in the media. Just listening to Sue totally makes you do a 180 on what people with autism are like."

Linda Rohlin, having worked with disabled students in the public school system for more than 20 years, wished that some of the autistic people she has known could have seen the films.

BCCC members worked on the festival since the spring, securing the legal rights to screen films and television shows to a large audience, and BCCC had assistance through grants and donations from several corners of the Syracuse University community.

"I'm just really excited that we can do this," said Christy Ashby, a doctoral student and a member of BCCC. "Having people who are identified as disabled in the audience talking back to what they see and what they hear is really powerful to me."