The upcoming AN/OTHER Film Festival will showcase films that put people with a disability at the centre of their storytelling in a weeklong celebration.
Encompassing a program of film screenings and conversation, the 2024 festival will present diverse stories and perspectives from around the globe.
The program is shaped around three themes: Wide Open Spaces and Urban Landscapes, The Simple Things in Life, and Queer Minds and Bodies and Chosen Families.
Program Curator Sarah Collins said the broad themes show different aspects of life that are complicated at the best of times but can have added complexity for people with a disability.
Among the queer section of the program is a focus on the work of Scottish animator Steven Fraser. Fraser is an animator and artist who creates films, comics, zines, performances and installations.
His work often uses an inventive mix of animation, puppetry and illustrations. Fraser, who identifies as queer and autistic, will be taking part in a Q&A during the festival and three of his works are including in the program.
His film Prosopagnoisa explores his experiences of the condition often referred to as ‘face blindness’ and how this relates to intimacy, communication and memory.
Audiences will also get the opportunity to see his film Coming Out Autistic where he explores the process of coming out and sharing your autism diagnosis when you’re also LGBTIQA+. His short documentary DixPix looks into why people often share intimate images on dating apps taking in the perspectives of gay male, trans and non-binary bodies.
British filmmaker Lisle Turner’s short film Head Over Wheels is also in the program. Written by Matilda Ibini the romantic comedy looks at dating as a disabled person.
The film was created when five writers were given the challenge of creating a story that answered the question of, do our differences have to divide us? Actors Michelle Tiwo and Saida Ahmed bring to life the story of a flirtatious meeting in a pub between two women.
After appearing in this 2020 short film Ahmed went on to appear in the British TV series Brassic where she played Linda, and more recently she appeared in the series Jerk.
On Sundays is a short film from Brazil which sees a man named Domingo follow his solitary routine until he receives a visit from a past love.
Directed by Olavo Junior, the film is written by his longtime collaborator Alyson Lacerda. The director and writer met in 2003 when they began studying film.
Another selection in the queer section of the program is Italian film Tales of a Violet Sky which is directed by Nicolo Roberto Roccatello.
It is described as a dance between two androgynous people who defy gender labels it features performers Erica Pianalto and Tommaso Speziale. Over the years Roccatello has made his mark creating intriguing videos for many musicians.
Find out more about the AN/OTHER Film Festival and explore their whole program.
