Despite its growing mainstream popularity, the Sundance Film Festival has always remained a space for groundbreaking work that helps shape the future of cinema and fosters fresh perspectives. From championing independent voices to elevating stories rarely seen on screen, Sundance has consistently used its platform to expand what movies can be. This commitment extends to disability representation as well. Landmark films such as Crip Camp premiered at Sundance, as did the Academy Award–winning CODA.

Yet despite these achievements, Park City, and the festival itself, has long presented challenges for the disability community. The snowy mountain terrain of Utah is inherently difficult to navigate, and as a historic town, many venues are not easily accessible. Beyond the festival’s sheer growth outpacing Park City’s infrastructure, these limitations contributed to Sundance’s bold decision to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, in part to improve accessibility.

Creating truly accessible cinematic spaces requires more than geography alone. From adaptive technologies to flexible, inclusive environments, accessibility has long been a challenge for Sundance and for film festivals more broadly. Nevertheless, Sundance has increasingly prioritized access and continues to evolve its approach. This year, for example, the festival introduced live-captioned conversations delivered directly to attendees’ phones, an important step toward more inclusive participation and access to conversations.

But beyond infrastructure and access initiatives, the most radical form of inclusion is the programming itself. This year’s standout disability-focused selection was Liz Sergant’s feature film Take Me Home. Sergant previously premiered a short film of the same title at Sundance; this year, she returned with a fully realized and deeply affecting feature-length version.

Take Me Home follows Anna, a woman with a developmental disability who lives with her aging, ailing parents. When they can no longer care for her, the film exposes the cracks in America’s care system, an especially urgent concern for families that include a disabled member. The story centers unapologetically on Anna, and she quickly wins over the audience. She is unlike anyone we typically see on screen: her physicality, expression, and presence defy conventional Hollywood norms.

Sergant cast the film authentically, choosing her real-life sister to play Anna and basing the story on her. Anna has the same developmental disability depicted in the film, and Sergant went to extraordinary lengths to create a production environment that met her sister’s specific needs. This required breaking from rigid industry norms and reimagining what a healthy, inclusive film set could look like.

Artistically, the film is as daring as it is inclusive. Sergant achieves a rare comedic rhythm, using Anna’s genuine reactions and timing to propel the story forward. One unforgettable moment unfolds in a supermarket when Anna insists on buying ice pops, only to be refused. Her response, an excruciatingly awkward act of shoplifting, leaving the supermarket employees stunned and the film audience in hysterics.

The film also resists conventional narrative structure, opting instead for a visually and emotionally fresh approach. Sergant could have expanded the original short into a more traditional story, perhaps an odd-couple comedy centered on Anna and her sister, but she remained true to Anna’s lived reality and focused the film on the emotional stakes of finding care. She fills the film with well-written anecdotes of life with Anna. That artistic integrity was rewarded with Sundance honors for screenwriting and production.

Beyond Anna’s role, Sergant ensured disability inclusion permeated every aspect of the film. She cast actors from the disability community in supporting roles, including Steve Way (Ramy) and Shannon DeVido (Difficult People), and partnered with disability organizations throughout the process. ReelAbilities has supported the film from its earliest stages, including its accessibility efforts.

In every respect, Take Me Home offers a perspective rarely seen in cinema. While Sundance selections are often debated, the festival’s decision to champion this film reflects a clear recognition of its artistic merit and the courage to present work that expands our understanding of whose stories belong on screen.