ReelAbilities Film Festival Chicago

The festival is dedicated to sharing the human experience of disability through art and film. ReelAbilities screens a variety of films, workshops, panels, and other arts programming at different venues in Chicago.

In 2015, BACKBONES hosted a 5 day film festival in Chicago from September 9-13 as part of the city’s ADA 25th Anniversary celebrations. Our 2nd Chicago festival was October 2017 and we are getting ready for August 2019!

ReelAbilities National

The ReelAbilities NY Film Festival was initiated at the JCC in Manhattan, in 2007. The festival was the first of its kind to present award- winning films by and about people with disabilities. Screenings took place at multiple venues throughout the city and they were followed by discussions that brought together the community to explore, discuss, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience.

In 2012, Cincinnati, Ohio was the first city to follow in New York’s footsteps by hosting a ReelAbilities Film Festival. Since then, the festival has spread to over a dozen cities in North America, and we have received more than 500 films for consideration submitted from across the globe.