Winner of 2004 Barbara Jordan Award
The Cinema Touching Disability Film Festival uses films to illustrate the way the media's changing portrayals and representation of disability has mirrored the evolution of the position of people with disabilities in society. The 50-second clip produced by Thomas Edison entitled "The Fake Beggar" is thought to be the first representation of disability in cinema; the 1932 production "Freaks", shows people with disabilities working in a carnival sideshow. Also featured in previous festivals were the 1986 classic "Children of a Lesser God" and "Shattering Stereotypes on Mt. Everest", which spotlights Austin climber Gary Guller.
Judges liked that the festival appealed to a broad audience. They especially enjoyed seeing the Team Everest documentary that captured many successes.
WINNER OF 2004 AMCPD MEDIA AWARD
The Austin Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities (AMCPD) is pleased to announce that the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities was selected to receive the 2004 Media Award. We won this award because of the strong positive statement that our film festival made about the representation and portrayal of people with disabilities in movies. The AMCPD judged that Cinema Touching Disability both educated and improved the attitudes that many people in Austin have about people with disabilities.
The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities picked three films that starred actors with disabilities in the role of characters with disabilities. These films
showed people with disabilities in an honest and accurate manner.
The general public was both invited to this festival and informed of it via the 1. internet, 2. newspapers, 3. radio 4. television.
