Ireland’s first ever International Disability Film Festival – takes place around the country this October.
Abära is aimed at celebrating the work of people with disabilities and increasing awareness and understanding of the many challenges still faced by people with disabilities around the world, as well as continuing the debate around global disability issues. Abära opens on Thursday, October 20th and continues until October 23rd.
The festival will run at The IFI and Axis, Ballymun in Dublin City, with sister events taking place at The Eye, Galway. Abära is organised by Dóchas Disability and International Development (DID) working group, in conjunction with Arts & Disability Ireland and the Department of Justice and Equality.
Aidan Leavy, chair of the Abära IDFF comments, “It’s a privilege to present Abära to you – Ireland’s first ever International Disability Film Festival, cinema by, with and about people with disabilities. These incredible, critically acclaimed films challenge stereotypes, enrich our understanding of the issues surrounding disability in the global north and south and offer different perspectives of lives lived in our world. They’re also entertaining and thought-provoking films which can only add to the already rich offering of cinema in this country.”
Among the must-see films at the festival are Happy Birthday Thalidomide, Lucy Walker’s Blindsight and the 2010 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Short ‘Music by Prudence’, which traces the path of a girl with a disability called arthrogryposis, and her remarkable transcendence from a world of hatred and superstition into one of music, love, and possibilities. Many of the films at the festival will be followed by post screening discussions with cast and crew.
Abära is a must for all interested in cinema that addresses subjects rarely tackled in mainstream culture or media.
A Festival Pass costs €2, and gives free admission to all festival screenings. Festival passes are available from IFI and axis box office. However, seating at screenings will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
For more information, see www.abara.ie