#Disability
TV Academy Members from Marginalized Groups Report Underrep, Exclusion, & Ineffective DEI Practices
A new report from the Television Academy lays bare how much work the industry has to do if it ever truly wants to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Based on the findings from a survey of 4,128 TV...
Disability Dance Drama “Grace” in Development at Disney, “Run’s” Kiera Allen to Star & Co-Write
Disney is developing “Grace,” a new dance drama that will center on a talented, disabled teenage dancer, with Kiera Allen (“Run”) set to co-write the script and star, and...
New Scorecard Initiative Will Evaluate Film Festivals Based on Their Accessibility
During this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival, FWD-Doc, a collective of non-fiction filmmakers living with disabilities, released a statement about the fest’s overall...
Martyna Majok’s Pulitzer-Winning Play “Cost of Living” Will Make Broadway Debut This Fall
Martyna Majok’s play “Cost of Living” is getting another staging — this time on Broadway. Deadline reports the production will make its debut on the Great White Way at the Samuel...
Disability Representation Non-Profit Inevitable Foundation Selects Fall 2021 Screenwriting Fellows
Inevitable Foundation has selected its second round of screenwriting fellows. The non-profit, which aims to close the disability gap in TV and film, is presenting Shaina Ghuraya and writing partners...
Pick of the Day: “Introducing, Selma Blair”
Selma Blair holds no illusions about her place in Hollywood. Whether it’s “Cruel Intentions,” “Legally Blonde,” or “Hellboy,” she’s best known standing...
Netflix and BBC Join Forces to Support Shows from Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent Creatives
Two of the biggest names in media are working together to develop, fund, and co-produce shows from Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent creatives. Variety confirms Netflix and the BBC are entering into...
Trailer Watch: “Introducing, Selma Blair” Invites Audiences to Join Her Journey with MS
Selma Blair offers an intimate look behind the scenes of her life in “Introducing, Selma Blair.” Rachel Fleit’s documentary sees the actress reckoning with her Multiple Sclerosis...
Trailer Watch: A Mother Moves Worlds For Her Daughter in Ann Hu’s “Confetti”
How far will a mother go to give her child the best opportunities in life? That question seems to be answered in the trailer for “Confetti” from writer-director Ann Hu, who has based the...
Apply Now: Inaugural AXS Film Fund for Creators of Color With Disabilities
Founded to support ethnic minorities with disabilities in getting recognition and job opportunities within the film industry, the AXS Film Fund is now accepting applications for support grants. Up to...
New Org Will Offer Mentorship and Financial Support to Disabled Screenwriters
According to last year’s WGAW Inclusion Report, self-identified writers with disabilities comprise only 0.7 percent of current active Writers Guild of America West members. In contrast, about a...
Guest Post: It’s Time For Disability Representation in Hollywood to Increase and Evolve
By Anna Pakman As a young girl growing up in the ’90s, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me on television or in the movies. You see, I was born with Cerebral Palsy, a disability that limits...
Inclusive SXSW Musical “Best Summer Ever” Gets Distribution at Freestyle Digital Media
“Best Summer Ever,” a teen musical from directors Lauren Smitelli and Michael Parks Randa, has nabbed distribution. Freestyle Digital Media will release the film — which was...
Netflix, FWD-Doc, and Doc Society Launch U.K. Disability and Inclusion Toolkit, U.S. Version to Follow
A recent report from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, analyzing the U.S.-based 126 movies and 180 series released on Netflix in 2018 and 2019, revealed that just 5.3 percent of stories were...
See and Be Seen: Crowdfunding Picks
Self-perception is a two-way mirror. Self-perception is how we see ourselves: all our ambitions, all our anxieties reflected plainly in the looking glass. Self-perception is also how the person on...
The Disability List Announces 2020 Selections
The Disability List, an annual collection of the best unproduced scripts featuring at least one lead character with a disability, has selected eight screenplays for its second edition. The 2020 list...
Pick of the Day: “Run”
Mommie Dearest does her best impression of Marmee in “Run.” Picture-perfect, warm, and loving on the surface, Diane (Sarah Paulson) is a mom whose true nature is gradually revealed in the...
Women of Color Led or Co-Led 11 of 2018’s Top 100 Films, According to New Research
As we’re all well aware, women are very much underrepresented on the big screen. However, according to new research from Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, there is...
Society, Expectations, and the “Other”: VOD and Web Series Picks
Society has unspoken expectations for everyone, especially women. We’re expected to dress in a certain way, do our hair and makeup, be less aggressive with men. Then there are expectations for...
Jill Soloway Shares Topple List, an Inclusive Collection of Working Culture Creators
Jill Soloway has unveiled the latest way they’re working to topple the patriarchy. The “Transparent” creator and Time’s Up supporter introduced The Topple List, a living...
Bentonville Film Festival to Honor “American Horror Story’s” Jamie Brewer
“American Horror Story’s” Jamie Brewer will be honored at the 2019 Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), Deadline confirms. The actress will receive the “See It, Be It” Award, given...
Research: Hollywood Inclusion “Remains Unchanged”
“The rhetoric in Hollywood may be changing when it comes to inclusion, but the numbers are not,” according to a press release announcing the findings of a new study. The report hails...
Addressing Adversity: Crowdfunding Picks
Whether it’s an inescapable reality of everyday life, or catalyzed by a change in our circumstances, we’ve all faced adversity. For many, multiple systems of oppression intersect to pose...
RespectAbility Launches Hollywood Disability Toolkit, Videocamp Holds Contest for Inclusive Films
Thanks to Francis McDormand’s Best Actress acceptance speech, audiences and at-home viewers alike left this year’s Oscar ceremony with one phrase in mind: inclusion rider. This has since...
Film About Special Olympics Founder Anne Burke in the Works
The story of the woman who launched the first Special Olympic Games is being made into a movie. “Special” will center on Anne Burke, who was just 24 when she created the inclusive competition in...