ReelAbilities programs have been presented in multiple locations across New Jersey since 2014. In 2017, the Office of Education and Community Outreach in the College of the Arts at Montclair State University, in partnership with Kean University, and JCC MetroWest, expanded the reach of ReelAbilities programming in Northern New Jersey. This initiative was made possible by a generous grant from Kessler Foundation. Montclair State University has since served as the lead location for ReelAbilities New Jersey with additional film screenings and ReelAbilities programming offered at Kean University and JCC MetroWest. Through the years, the ReelAbilities Film Festival | New Jersey has expanded further to include film screenings and special events at Montclair State University, Rutgers University, St. Peter’s University, The College of New Jersey, Kean Stage, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair Film, JCC MetroWest, JCC Middlesex, JCC Bridgewater, and Newark Arts.
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ReelAbilities Film Festival is the largest festival in the US dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different disabilities.
Founded in NY in 2007, the festival presents award-winning films by and about people with disabilities in multiple locations throughout each hosting city. Post-screening discussions and other engaging programs bring together the community to explore, discuss, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience.
2024-2025 Events
POSTPONED: Good Bad Things
New date TBD
Guest Speaker: Steve Way, Executive Producer
Location: Montclair State University
Good Bad Things is an intimate, small story about the gigantic issue that challenges and terrifies us all: the collision between the desperate need to be seen and loved and the fear that what people might see will repel rather than attract them. Danny, a young man with muscular dystrophy who is disillusioned by failed relationships, steps out of his comfort zone and into the world of online dating. An unexpected match with Madi, an enigmatic photographer, challenges him to be vulnerable and sparks a profound journey of self-acceptance, discovering the extraordinary beauty of his unique body.
Being Michelle
November 19, 2024
Location: St. Peter’s University, Jersey City
Guest Speaker: Mae Thornton, Producer
Being Michelle is an award-winning feature-length documentary film about a deaf woman with autism who survived incarceration and abuse and now uses her artwork to depict the trauma she survived and heal from her past.
Patrice: The Movie
November 3, 2024: Private Screening for the Montclair Film Club
Special Guests: Patrice Jetter, Garry Wickham, and Ted Passon, Director
A documentary rom-com about the next phase of marriage equality: disability.
Songs From the Hole
October 29, 2024
Location: Montclair State University
Guest Speaker: Contessa Gayles, Director and Cinematographer
Emmy-nominated director, producer, and cinematographer Contessa Gayles creates award winning non-fiction. Her documentary short, Founder Girls, executive produced with Queen Latifah, premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. As a CNN producer, she created and worked on award-winning series and documentaries, including The Feminist on Cellblock Y. Songs from the Hole premiered at SXSW and gained critical acclaim as it tells the story of James “JJ’88” Jacobs through a musical odyssey of Hip-Hop and Soul, inspired by his deep personal struggles as someone who has both inflicted and endured violence while serving a double-life prison sentence.
MSU New Visions BFA Films at Montclair Film Festival
October 27, 2024: Clairidge Theater
Ms. Blind Diva Empowerment Pageant
October 26, 2024
Location: Newark Museum of Art
Co-Sponsored with Eyes Like Mine
Eyes Like Mine Presents the 8th Annual Ms. Blind Diva Empowerment Pageant, celebrating the achievements and talents of our participants.
Father Soldier Son (Documentary)
October 22, 2024
Location: Montclair State University
Guest Speaker: Catrin Einhorn, Director
Father Soldier Son (2020) is an Emmy Award winning documentary film 10 years in the making. Directed and produced by Catrin Einhorn and Leslye Davis, it follows the family of Brian Eisch, a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army, and the effects of his deployment to the War in Afghanistan has on him and his young sons. This deeply moving portrait of a family called to serve explores the meaning of sacrifice, the need for purpose, and the challenges of being a father, a soldier and a son.
MSU Emerging Voices of Documentary at Montclair Film Festival
October 20, 2024: Clairidge Theater
Reid My Mind – Guest Speaker Thomas Reid
October 15, 2024
Location: Montclair State University
In 2004, while working as an IT developer, Thomas lost his sight as a result of Cancer. Disturbed by the lack of accessibility he helped launch a local advocacy organization. He later pursued a dormant interest in audio production in order to help promote topics pertaining to vision loss. With a strong focus on audio, Reid My Mind is a platform for Thomas to share interviews, stories, opinions in all media formats.
Sensory Friendly Tour
October 12, 2024
Location: Newark Museum of Art
Co-Sponsored with Newark Arts Festival
A sensory friendly tour of the NAF Signature Exhibition at the Newark Museum of Art, designed especially for children and adults with sensory processing or environmental sensitivities.
Disability Awareness Flagraising
October 1, 2024: 1 pm at Montclair State University
Co-Sponsored by the Disability Resource Center and the Disability Caucus
Do You Dream in Color
September 24, 2024
Location: Montclair State University
Directors: Abigail Fuller, Sarah Ivy
Do You Dream in Color is the coming-of-age story of four courageous blind high school students as they strive to prove that their disability will not hold them back from achieving their dreams.