The Miller Center for Student Disability Services and The Student Disability Advisory Council are hosting a film festival showcase on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in 319 Kreger Hall. The event highlights several short films related to various disability topics and produced by disabled filmmakers, followed by a discussion. The event is free and open to the public.

There are "Superfest Showcases" across the nation. The events typically screen a handful of disability-related films selected by event showcase organizers. Members of The Student Disability Advisory Council, in consultation with the Miller Center, selected six short films out more 40 options for the Miami event. The discussion afterward will be led by a representative from the Superfest International Disability Film Festival.

Films include:

• Stumped (26 mins) - Climber Maureen Beck is not here to be your inspiration. She was born missing her lower left arm, but that hasn’t stopped her from going hard. “I don’t want to just be a good one-armed climber,” says Maureen, “I want to be a good climber.”
• Once Again (18 Minutes) - Using a mixture of home video footage and original animation, Spottswood Moore vividly portrays what it is like to grow up with obsessive compulsive disorder.
• Regione Caecorum (In the Land of the Blind) (3 Minutes) - If a society is built with blind persons as the norm, it might be the person with sight who feels disabled as this short stop-motion animation illustrates.
• Like If ( 5 Minutes) - An unlikely heroine must deal with a particular epidemic; will she alone be able to save the world?
• Awake (22 Minutes) - Anna, a woman living with Multiple Sclerosis is visited by Doreen, a door-to-door proselytizer who makes herself at home and stays the day, slowly defrosting her non-welcome. Together they walk in the park, bake a chocolate cake, and watch an Ingmar Bergman.
• Stab-Life of a Voodoo Doll (10 Minutes) - An animated comic medical memoir dedicated to all those who live with chronic illness or disability. Writer and director Jeanette Castillo pairs her tongue-and-cheek personal account of living with Type 1 diabetes with criticism of the American healthcare system.

"These films are meant to show disability in a different light," said Dan Darkow, accommodations coordinator for the Miller Center. "It's about embracing disability as a powerful identity. The discussion afterward will bring up critical questions - what are preconceived notions challenged by the film? How are you thinking about disability now?"

The program is made possible by a gift from J. Scott and Susand MacDonald Miller, for whom the Miller Center is named. "The Millers' passion for supporting students is unmatched," said J. Andrew Zeisler, director of the Miller Center. "Their commitment to raising awaressness and increasing support for students with disabilities - above and beyond compliance - is inspiring."

All films are shown with open captions and audio description.