‘Stories Don't Have to Be About Disability' to Feature Actors with a Disability: A Call for Change
Easterseals works heavily to increase opportunities for disabled performers in the film and TV industry, and Weintraub was joined by actor, writer, producer, and founder of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, Nic Novicki, for a lively conversation about the state of disability inclusion in entertainment — and the importance of authentic representation.
More from IndieWire
'In Your Dreams' Teaser: The Search for the Sandman Powers Netflix's New Animated Sibling Fantasy
Sam Rockwell Says 'Sinners' Success Is 'Encouraging' for Hollywood: 'It's a Big Swing'
'One in four of the population has a disability, yet we're in less than 3 percent of film and TV shows,' Novicki, who's appeared in 'The Sopranos' and 'Boardwalk Empire,' said. The time is right for inclusive change. So Novicki founded the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, 'an annual film competition where you make a one-to-five-minute film that has somebody with a disability involved in front of or behind the camera. The films don't have to be about disability, it's just about including people with disabilities.' The Challenge winners then receive coveted access to already established entertainment industry professionals as a prize.
Earlier in the year at Sundance, Easterseals launched a new report on the subject of representing disability onscreen that Weintraub explained looks 'at how far we've come with disability inclusion, but also recognizes there are more opportunities to grow together. Over 50 talented individuals with disabilities helped curate it. We held a national survey in October of 800 adults with disabilities.'
Novicki, who has been in over 40 television shows and films, revealed that the Film Challenge had resulted in 135 films being created this year from around the world. Easterseals' report from earlier this year featured an important point from Novicki: 'A lot of times, accessibility does not requiremore money, it requires more planning — strategically planning ahead and integrating accessibility from the very beginning.' Money need not be a barrier.
Both Weintraub and Novicki love celebrating successes alongside their ongoing work to increase inclusion. 'There have been some amazing success stories recently,' Novicki said. ''Wicked'! Marissa Bode is a wheelchair user. The future is bright. 'Coda,' winning the Oscars, an all-deaf cast.'
'The buying power, the disposable income of the disability community in the United States is $490 billion, and that translates to over $1.3 trillion globally,' Weintraub said. 'Not only do we have a critical mass of people who want to see themselves represented, but they're a large part of the market. Authentic disability representation has financial incentives.' The report showed the audience wants more representation, and wants networks and studios to fix the lack of representation.
'I wondered why more people with disabilities weren't creating their own content. I wanted to play a gangster. So, I started shooting it myself,' Novicki said. 'I started creating my own opportunities. I created the Disability Film Challenge and it started small. We had 5 films that first year. I partnered with Easterseals in 2017. Now we have had 850 films created from around the world over the last 12 years. These become working databases. The Casting Society of America shares these films. With the challenge, it's not talking about the problem of the lack of representation, it's about being part of the solution.'
'Amazon MGM Studios is a partner of the challenge,' Novicki said. 'They reached out to us looking for an actor on the autism spectrum. We were able to send dozens of talented actors from the challenge. Nic Sanchez ended up booking a role in that film, which was 'The Accountant' sequel, and worked with Ben Affleck. It's a challenging landscape, but I'm optimistic because it's a global population of people with disabilities that hasn't been tapped into.'
'Stories don't have to be about disability,' Weintraub noted. 'A lot of the stories that come out of the challenge are seeing people with disabilities being moms, dads, lawyers, doctors, gangsters, bad guys, and being in romantic relationships too. The studios can see them in roles outside of roles that are just about their disability.'
'People with disabilities have largely not been given the same amount of auditions and opportunities,' Novicki said. Weintraub added, 'There are a lot of background crowd shots in movies. Always consider putting people with disabilities in those. Again, it's one in four, so they should be represented everywhere as well.'
'When you talk about one in four of the population,' Novicki continued, 'You're also talking about your neighbor, your son, your father, your uncle. Everybody has their own connection to disability. It's just about how do you meet them? That happens here (at Cannes). This is the largest film market in the world.'
'The disability community wants to see themselves represented. There's so much pride in our community,' Novicki said. 'I'm proud to have a disability, to be a little person, to be a part of this community. With 1.7 billion, there's a lot more room for awareness. There are a lot of success stories. We have a lot of our own within the challenge, but there's still room to grow.'
Watch the video above to find out how to submit films to the Disability Film Challenge, and learn more about Easterseals' disability inclusion work.
Best of IndieWire
Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See
'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie
Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘It' is Back and Derry-er Than Ever: HBO Series Is the Latest in Stephen King Cinematic Universe
The only other author, besides Stephen King, who can lay claim to having more of their work mined for television and film has got to be God. Show of hands of people who saw 'The Life of Chuck' earlier this year and had the 'Oh, right, that was based on a Stephen King story, of course' moment when the credits rolled. King is extremely prolific, and his myriad of tales tap into something specific about the human psyche — and most especially the innocence of childhood. Think of some of the most enduring King adaptations. 'The Shining.' 'Carrie.' 'Stand By Me.' The perspective of youth, in all its awkwardness, terror, and joy, is a persistent throughline. 'It' is the best example of this aspect of his work. The mammoth 1,000+ page 1986 novel has been memorably translated to film twice — once as the two-part Tim Curry 1990 miniseries and again as the Bill Skarsgård two-part film series (2017 and 2019). Generations of children of felt chills at the sight of rain jackets and red balloons because of these films and their source material. More from IndieWire Jay Leno Says Late Night Hosts 'Alienate' Viewers: 'I Don't Think Anybody Wants to Hear a Lecture' George Lucas Makes His First Ever Comic-Con Appearance So to make a full-fledged prequel television series out of the book makes sense. A (second) teaser for 'It: Welcome to Derry' was released July 27, which you can watch below. Warning: it may spoil whatever love you have for 'The Music Man.' What's most interesting about this trailer comes about 57 seconds in, when a bus is shown for 'Shawshank State Prison,' which is of course the setting of the King novella 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and its subsequent acclaimed film adaptation 'The Shawshank Redemption,' long listed as the No. 1 film ever by IMDb users. This puts the series not only in the same universe as the most recent 'It' films, but potentially in the same world as many other King works. The connections between King's own works have been discussed for decades — at least since the 2001 book 'The Stephen King Universe' was published. Pennywise — the titular 'It' clown — and the town of Derry are mentioned in a variety of King stories and screen translations, including 'Castle Rock,' 'The Dark Tower,' Insomnia,' 'Maximum Overdrive,' and 'Gray Matter.' Carrie White — you know, 'Carrie' — is mentioned directly in the 'It' novel. I mean, even the Overlook Hotel from 'The Shining' is mentioned in his book 'Misery.' Then King wrote his own sequel to that, 'Doctor Sleep,' which also became a movie. Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe made it on to our screens, these subtle connections between Maine's favorite author's impressive catalogue was already on full display. So, right out of the gate, to include this nod and place 'Welcome to Derry' right smack nab in the Stephen King pantheon is indeed a 'welcome' move. At Comic-Con on July 27, fans were also treated to a 10-minute preview of the new show (which has not been made available online as of this writing). According to Entertainment Weekly, the scenes — set in 1962 — follow a boy who sneaks into a movie theater, is caught, and then escapes… only to hitch a ride with a mild-mannered family that turns out to be the shape-shifting 'It.' This intro echos that of its source material, which also opens on a young boy's gruesome death at the hands of Pennywise. The eight-episode 'It: Welcome to Derry' premieres on HBO and HBO Max this October. Watch the first teaser trailer, released in May, below. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
What Would Americans Really Do for $1 Million? New Survey Reveals Shocking Truth
Americans would ditch love, betray friends and even risk their lives for a seven-figure payday, a new survey reveals. Over 40% would walk out on their romantic partner in a heartbeat for a cool million, according to a poll of 2,000 people by Gamblizard, a website that tracks and shares online casino deals. And plenty of Americans seem willing to risk their own skin, too. 4 Friendship, love and ethics all take a back seat when seven figures are on the table, according to a new survey on money and morals. New Africa – Nearly half, 46%, said they'd step right into a real-life 'Squid Game' — the Netflix hit where contestants face certain death — to pocket $33 million, just like the winner on the show. Even more chilling, four in ten Americans said they would gladly bankrupt a stranger to secure $33 million for themselves. Another 46 percent said they might consider it, depending on whose finances were at risk. Nearly 60% would ditch technology entirely and live off the grid, and forget Netflix and chill: 41% of Americans would completely swear off sex for that same million-dollar check, the survey found. An alarming 15% admitted they'd frame a friend for a crime they didn't commit to get their hands on that kind of cash. 4 The hit series 'Squid Game' pits desperate players in deadly games for money — and nearly half of Americans say they'd sign up in real life for $33 million. New Africa – But Americans do have priorities, with 10 percent saying they would reject the money if they couldn't share it, while 21% value social media access more than a million bucks. More than half would reject the cash if their parents controlled it, and 38% would hesitate if their enemy benefited too. The findings 'reveal more about human psychology than moral decay,' said Nina Mazar, behavioral scientist at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. 'While some people might never compromise their values regardless of the sum, others have thresholds — and the data suggests that as incentives rise, more people admit they'd waver.' But Carnegie Mellon University economics and psychology professor George Loewenstein thinks the issue runs deeper. 4 The survey suggests that when the stakes are high enough, even the most unthinkable choices start to seem tempting. New Africa – When money's tight, people are more willing to stretch their morals to make ends meet, he said. Some might laugh off these survey answers as just hypothetical fun, but Loewenstein warns the truth might be darker. 'Are these responses likely to reflect real behavior? They probably understate the actual fraction of people who would actually do these things if faced with the temptation,' said Loewenstein, who specializes in social and decision sciences. Ben Bradley, a philosophy professor and ethics expert at Syracuse University is worried about the nation's moral compass. 4 A shocking number of Americans say they'd dump their partners without hesitation if it meant walking away with a million-dollar check. New Africa – 'People often think they would act a certain way when confronted with a scenario, but are wrong,' he said. 'Framing a friend for murder is much more disturbing. A non-trivial number of people regard morality as a sucker's game.'
The Hill
a day ago
- The Hill
Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7
Paramount and Skydance announced Friday that, with the Trump administration's approval, the highly anticipated merger between the entertainment giants is expected to take place next month. The Aug. 7 date, unveiled in a press release, comes after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday allowed Skydance's acquisition of Paramount to move forward after the merger was first proposed last year. FCC Chair Brendan Carr in announcing the decision said he welcomed Skydance's commitment to remaining 'unbiased' in its journalism and willingness to promote 'a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum.' 'Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly,' Carr added. 'It is time for a change.' The move caps off months of turmoil between Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, and President Trump. Trump sued CBS's '60 Minutes' last year after he argued an interview it aired with former Vice President Harris was altered in her favor during the 2024 presidential election cycle. While the company fought the claims, including releasing a full transcript from the episode, it ultimately settled with the administration for $16 million. Those funds are set to go to Trump's eventual presidential library. The news outlet has also faced criticism in recent days after CBS made the decision to sunset 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' next May, after more than 30 years on air. Paramount said the move was based on finances, but critics have argued the settlement and Skydance deal were likely involved — and bribery allegations have been floated. Comedian Stephen Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, has been openly critical of the merger. Colbert blasted the network earlier this week for choosing to axe the show and thanked those who have reached out in support, including Democrats, press freedom advocates and many of his late-night counterparts. He added that 'one key mistake' the network made when moving forward with the plan is that 'they left me alive.' Colbert also lashed out at Trump after the president said in a post online that he 'absolutely' loved that the comedian was getting 'fired.' 'How dare you, sir,' the host responded. 'Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: 'Go f‑‑‑ yourself.'' Under the terms of the $8 billion merger, the company will become 'New Paramount' and will be led by Trump-ally and billionaire David Ellison, the son of tech tycoon and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
