ABILITIES ARTS FESTIVAL

ABILITIES ARTS FESTIVAL
A Celebration of Disability Arts and Culture

On September 20th, 27th and October 4th
The Al Green Theatre
750 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

The Abilities Arts Festival presents this year an impressive line-up of award winning films (most of them little seen), special guests and film forums taking place in these coming few weeks.

The Film Forums include 3 evenings of films that celebrate diversity and disability.  No doubt these films will be moving for their subject matter rather than for injected sentimentality or manipulative plot.  A total of 8 films will be screened in downtown Toronto at the Al Green Theatre.

Three themes are selected:

(Sep 20th) Taboos, Dance and Body Diversity
(Sep 27th) Journeys to Self Definition
(Oct 4th) The Right to Choose Your Own Path

For more details on the festival, ticket pricing, venues and festival times, check the web-site at:

http://www.abilitiesartsfestival.org

Besides the films, attendees are given the opportunity to meet and hear from the filmmakers and actors and participate in thought provoking dialogue.

Present celebs include Karina Epperlein (director of PHOENIX DANCE), Irene Taylor Brodsky (director of HEAR AND NOW) and Alice Elliot (director of BODY AND SOUL: DIANA & KATHY)

Below is a capsule review of one of the screened films:

AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE (Canada 2007) ***
Directed by Scott Smith

AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE is a moving story of how relationships change as seen through the eyes of a man slowly going blind.  B.C. director Scott Smith’s (ROLLER COASTER and FALLING ANGELS) first documentary follows protagonist Ryan Knighton as he journeys from Canada to Halberstadt, Germany to hear the note change in the 639-year organ performance of the John Cage composition AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE.  The note change is a metaphor for a major transformation in Ryan’s life.  He is going blind.  As he slowly loses his last sliver of sight, he meets up with many strange encounters (a man in a bear suit, a kid, and puppeteers) during his road trip/journey.  Mystical, occasionally funny and mostly entertaining, Smith’s AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE is a charming documentary piece in itself.  The film was shot largely in Berlin and Halberstadt, Germany.