On Sunday, Aug. 18 the Maumee Indoor Theater is hosting the 10th annual Community Film Fest. The festival will be from 1 pm to 5 pm for guests to celebrate short films created by and about the lives of people living with disabilities.
The festival is a collaboration between the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities and FilmToledo. FilmToledo is a group from all different professions that have come together to encourage film production in the Northwest Ohio region.
The event is also sponsored by Maumee Valley Partners for Inclusion, which is an organization that helps to develop projects that promote inclusion within the community.
The event celebrates contributions made in the community, challenges assumptions and helps to grow respect for people with disabilities. The festival focuses exclusively on amateur video with each film being about 5 minutes long.
The films
The films are separated into two categories; independently made and with assistance. Independent films are made by the creator without any help. Films with assistance are made with help from the creator’s friends, families or anyone else who is willing to help.
Each film highlights how each creator has contributed to their community, whether it is their school, neighborhood, work or faith community. The film could be an autobiography, a self-advocacy film, an animated short film or a music video.
Some previous videos have featured superhero battles, country music videos, interviews with community volunteers and more. Each film tells a unique individual’s story and helps them to express themselves through a creative outlet.
At the festival
This year, about 17 film submissions will be played throughout the event. There will also be activities between movies to allow people to take a break from sitting.
“We do offer an intermission for those that might need a break due to sensory sensitivities or other reasons,” Michele Myerholtz, superintendent of Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities and a third-year judge for the festival, said.
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Last year during intermission they invited iDance Adaptive Performing Arts and Fitness Center to perform and had some participants of the festival dance with them. iDance provides students of all ages and abilities with instruction to use creative expression in performing arts.
Celebrating the filmmakers
At the end of the event, the awards are presented to the filmmakers. The films are evaluated by a panel of four judges and tallied to see which film wins the categories. This year there are several categories like Inspiring Audiences, Promoting Inclusion, Challenging Assumptions, Celebrating Community, Everyday Lives, Most Creative and Best of the Fest.
The judges this year are John Comes, Jaden Jefferson, Myerholtz and Lindsay Taylor. Comes and Taylor have both been participating in the CommUNITY Film Fest for years as filmmakers, presenters and judges. Jefferson is a 15-year-old community-oriented journalist.
For many filmmakers seeing their films on screen and being able to experience the audience’s reaction is an amazing award itself. One of Myerholtz’s favorite parts of the event is being able to support the artists and their families.
“Being cheered for their work, being appreciated, it is very rewarding and uplifting,” Myerholtz said.
For more information visit communityfilmfest.org.
