About Us

ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York

Founded in 2007 by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York is the largest festival in the country dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. The weeklong festival is renowned for its wide-ranging international film selection, riveting conversations, and performances, presented annually in dozens of venues across the New York metropolitan area. In 2010, ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York expanded into an international program, presenting its one-of-a-kind programming in cities throughout the United States, Canada, and Central America.

View the full festival overview booklet by clicking here

ReelAbilities International Program

In 2012, other cities across the country followed New York’s footsteps by hosting ReelAbilities Film Festivals, starting with Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, ReelAbilities events have been held in over 20 cities across the world – transitioning from ReelAbilities North America to ReelAbilities International. ReelAbilities events have expanded from the U.S., Canada, and Latin America—and take place in many different forms: Film festivals, year round screenings, and special programming that goes beyond film. Since its start, ReelAbilities has consistently received an increasing number of outstanding film submissions from around the globe. The ReelAbilities International headquarters is located in NY, expanding its screenings throughout schools, communities, offices and organizations in communities across the globe.

Accessibility

ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York strives to include all people. All festival venues are wheelchair accessible, and the festival presents all films with open captions. The JCC offers CART (live transcription) at every event for introductions, post-screening conversations, and non-film programming. In 2018 for the first time, the JCC also offers Audio Description for the visually impaired for every feature film and several short films. Some other venues will also offer this accessibility aid. (Audio Description availability is noted on individual venue and program pages.) ASL interpretation will be available at many events at the JCC and may be available at other venues with advance notice. The festival catalog is available in Braille from the JCC box office. If you require an accessibility accommodation, please contact the specific venue presenting the event you would like to attend.

Our Mission

ReelAbilities Film Festival is the largest festival in the U.S. dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. Founded in New York City in 2007, the festival presents international and 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.

Film Selection

Each year, ReelAbilities receives hundreds of submissions. The NY-based Film Selection Committee, comprised of individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, previews all submissions in different staged of consideration for the NY edition, after which each host city makes its own curation from that selection.

ReelAbilities NY 2023 Film Selection Committee:

  • Anita Altman, ReelAbilities co-founder
    • Anita is a social entrepreneur and city planner. She is the co-founder of ReelAbilities, US’s largest film festival dedicated to showcasing films by, or about, people with disabilities. She is an active Jewish feminist, and a member of NYC’s B’Nai Jeshrun synagogue.
  • Anita Hollander, National Chair, SAG-AFTRA Performers With Disabilities
    • Anita has written & performed work throughout Europe, Asia, Russia and America, in film, TV, and live theatre. Her award-winning original solo musicals Still Standing & Spectacular Falls have played Off-Broadway, at the Kennedy Center, The White House, nationally & internationally. She serves as SAG-AFTRA National Chair of Performers with Disabilities. www.anitahollander.com
  • Juliette Romeo, Founder of Slamdance UNSTOPPABLE Filmmaker/Curator/Programmer, CEO, Media Jules
    • Juliet is an award winning writer and director. She lives in South Florida. She is the founder of Slamdance Unstoppable film program which promotes disability inclusion and diversity in film festivals.
  • Lynn Bartner-Wiesel, ReelAbilities co-chair
    • Lynn has been with ReelAbilities for 8 years, wife of Elisha, and parent of 2 teenagers with learning differences, Massage therapist since 1994, Pilates Instructor since 1997, BFA in Visual Arts from SUNY Purchase.
  • Mayer Waxman, Executive Director, Queens Jewish Community Council
    • Mayer is a licensed social worker with a second Master’s in forensic psychology and rabbinic ordination. He holds a minor in speech and drama, and is almost as passionate about the creative arts as he is about mental health and social justice.  Mayer has been involved with ReelAbilities since its inception, when he was serving as the associate director of the Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilities.
  • Michelle Feig, ReelAbilities co-chair
    • Michelle is a social worker,  volunteering with ReelAbilities for six years as ReelAbilities NY festival co-chair.
  • Nicholas Barberio, video artist/composer/filmmaker
    • Nick is a photographer, filmmaker, and composer. He holds a degree in Clothing Design, a Masters in Costume History, and certificates in both film editing and screenwriting. He reviews for this festival and for Trenton International Film Festival as well.
  • Peter Lubell, writer, director, producer, and storyteller
    • Peter  is a writer, director, producer, and storyteller. He’s performed on stages from New York to Edinburgh, and his work has appeared in print, on radio, and on television.
  • Ronnie Ellen Raymond, United Spinal Association, Member of the Board of Directors
  • Sofiya Cheyanne, Performer / Teaching Artist / Consultant
    • Sofiya is a Teaching Artist, multi-disciplinaryperformer and Disability Advocate/Consultant. She is the Inclusion Director of Little People of America, Co-Chair of The Dwarf Artist Coalition and also part of the Disability Advisory Council for ART NY, where she continually advocates for people of short stature on and off the stage. Sofiya is a passionate educator and public speaker, she has been teaching throughout New York City for over 10 years. Through sharing her artistry and educating others, she encourages the power of community in storytelling and social justice. www.sofiyacheyenne.com
  • Steve Way, Actor, writer, comedian, and speaker
    • Steve is a 31 year old actor, writer, comedian, and speaker. He was born with Muscular Dystrophy and is an advocate for disability rights and healthcare. He can be seen in the Hulu series Ramy.
  • Xian Horn, Beauty and accessibility advocate, speaker, instructor, Forbes contributor, and founder of the non-profit Give Beauty Wings.
    • Xian is a joyful half-Asian woman with Cerebral Palsy, who serves as founder of the non-profit, Give Beauty Wings and consultancy Changeblazer. She is an advocate, speaker, blogger, and Exemplar for the AT&T NYU Connect Ability Challenge in the creation of Assistive Technology. Xian was named Women’s eNews’ 21 Leaders for the 21st Century in 2017 and in Walker’s Legacy Power 15 in 2018. Give Beauty Wings’ Self-Esteem programs began and continue at NYU’s Initiative for Women with Disabilities, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, and M.S. 131. She is a freelance journalist at ForbesWomen and Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. https://xianhorn.com/

ReelAbilities NY 2023 Film Screening Committee:

  • Alina Kuderska
  • Amy Carr
  • Amy Rosenfeld-Kass
  • Benjamin “Benji” Zwerling
  • Bryant Reynolds
  • Camila Kann
  • Cynthia Fromer
  • Daisy Friedman
  • Daphne Schlick
  • Deborah Lechner
  • Elaine E. Katz
  • Emma Benten
  • Fran Prezant
  • Jay Encina
  • Julie Ridge
  • Kelsey Reeder
  • Noam Schuldenrein
  • Sharon Bunkin
  • Tiffany Joy Butler
  • Truett Lee Vaigneur Jr
  • Zachary Feig

Advisory Committee

Victor Calise, Director, Global Culture, Equity and Inclusion at Walmart

Lawrence Carter Long, Director of Communications, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Nancie Collin, Board member, Hearing Loss Association of America
Shanon DeVido, Comedian, Performer and Filmmaker
Ronnie Ellen Raymond, Disability Advocate
Faye Ginsburg, Council for the Study of Disability, New York University
Pat Goldman, VP, JE&ZB Butler Foundation
Elle Hartman, Elle Jones Casting
Xian Horn, Writer and Activist
Matt Kaplowitz, Bridge Multimedia
Elaine Katz, Kessler Foundation
Chantal Lowe, Senior Director of Partner and Community Engagement, Include NYC
Breanne Matloff, Senior Major Gifts Officer at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Gregg Mozgala, Dancer and Actor
Andrew Pilkington, Filmmaker
Jennifer Rawlings, storyteller, writer, filmmaker
Shirley Silver, Board Member, JCC Manhattan
Steven Verdile, Designer and writer
Mayer Waxman, Selfhelp Community Services, Inc.
Steve Way, Actor and Comedian
Danny Woodburn, Actor, Comedian and Activist

Festival Council

Loreen Arbus
Wendy Barasch
Lynn Bartner Wiesel (ReelAbilities Co-chair)
Steven Bunkin (Opening Night co-chair)
Mark Chessler
Sharon Cohen Bunkin (Opening Night co-chair)
Barbara Dobkin

Michelle Feig (ReelAbilities Co-chair)
Jennifer Krevitt
Rebecca Lindenbaum
David Manzano
Holly Posner
Jordana Sandler Manzano (ReelAbilities Co-chair)
Jay Selman
Andrea Zaretsky

Who Are We?

Anita Altman

Festival Founder
Anita Altman chairs the ReelAbilities North America board. In her nearly three decades working at UJA Federation of New York, Anita Altman helped put disabilities on the agenda of the city’s Jewish community. Anita founded the UJA-Federation’s Task Force on People With Disabilities, and with philanthropic support, she expanded and transformed the UJA-Federation’s member agencies’ programming that serves people with disabilities and their families. Anita’s vision provided the original foundation for ReelAbilities in 2008. She hoped that a film festival might be a worthwhile vehicle for sharing the lives and aspirations of people with disabilities and simultaneously raise consciousness concerning our common humanity and the value of each person without regard to ability or disability.  

Isaac Zablocki

Festival Founder & Director
Isaac Zablocki is the Director of Film Programs at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan with a rich background in multiple aspects of the film industry. After graduating from Columbia University's film school, he worked at Miramax Films and later produced and directed feature films while also developing educational programs for the Department of Education. He has been instrumental in shaping the film landscape at JCC Manhattan, including the establishment of the Israel Film Center and the annual programming of several film festivals such as the Other Israel Film Festival, which highlights the stories of Arab and underrepresented populations in Israel, and the ReelAbilities Film Festival, the largest festival in the world showcasing films by and about people with disabilities.

Ravit Turjeman

Interim Director, ReelAbilities Film Festival: International
One of the founding members of the ReelAbilities Film Festival, Ravit is the founder and director of Dragoman Films, a company focused on film distribution and film festivals programming, production, and management. Over the past 20 years she has promoted the work of, and represented hundreds of filmmakers, as well as led various film-related initiatives, including film festivals, industry databases, streaming platforms, and industry networks.

Juliette Klitz

Program Administrator, Carole Zabar Center for Film

Juliette was born and raised in New York City. She graduated with degrees in Film & Media Studies and Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University. After a summer internship at MY Entertainment, Juliette has worked as a production sound mixer for many student shorts as well as a production assistant on HBO’s The Shop. She is excited to join the JCC film team as Program Administrator.

Caroline Calandro

Film Manager, Carole Zabar Center for Film
Caroline joined the ReelAbilities team with degrees in Journalism and Psychology from the University of Connecticut and brings professional experience in freelance post-production work for clients such as the International Rescue Committee, UNICEF and VMware as well as NYC production companies The National Media League and SALTY Features. She also has experience with marketing, graphic design, social media and content management systems, largely within the realms of public and private education. She is excited to be supporting the mission of ReelAbilities International through her work on the JCC film team.