Showing posts with label Television & Movies. Show all posts

Exploring and re-evaluating my deaf identity, with the help of the film ‘My Song’

By DeafStudent
Yesterday, I suddenly realised something. The user name on my blog, DeafStudent, really is wrong. I’m not a deaf student.
I’m a student who happens to be deaf.
I know that some of you may be thinking, ‘big deal, so what?’, but it’s actually quite important. For me, my primary associative identity is the student part, not the deaf part.
I’m a student, I’m aspiring to be someone in my field, a published author, a respected lecturer, I’m all of that.
I have other identities too, other labels that society likes to slap on people – my gender, my skin colour, my sexuality, my marital status.
In all of that, being deaf is just another label for me. It represents what I struggle with, what I cannot do. It is very much a negative association, never a positive. I do what I do, achieve what I have, despite my deafness. It is a thing to be battled against. A war to be fought.
And by the way, I’m not by any means suggesting it should be this way for everyone. Many people are very proud to be deaf, to champion Deaf culture and language – and more power to them.
This blog post is about my thoughts, about my expression of my identity, and right now, I’m struggling to figure something out – when I get like this, I write. So bear with me.
I watched ‘My Song‘ yesterday, for the first time. It’s a wonderful, well acted and written, short drama from 2011 exploring deaf identity and language, portraying a teenage deaf girl, Ellen, learning BSL, making her first steps into the deaf world and the reactions – both negative and positive – to those steps, from the hearing people around her, to the deaf people she encounters...
Read the complete post at Limping Chicken.
http://limpingchicken.com/2015/06/17/deaf-student-deaf-identity/
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deaf & hard of hearing

Disability In Cinema: Exploring Empowerment

rain man screenplay analysis1 0 639x360 Disability In Cinema: Exploring Empowerment
By: Dale Barham
What do you take for granted in life? The ability to walk, run and jump?  How about a fully-functioning brain, open to the wonders of imaginative and creative thinking? Maybe the power of speech? Or the feel of grass stroking the soles of your feet, or the air swelling and dancing in your strong, healthy lungs.
It may be a cliché, but these things are an underrated luxury for so many of you out there. Perhaps you’ve grown so used to them by now that you’ll never truly understand the magic of such simplicities unless they were taken away. Maybe you are one of those unfortunate souls, to have had the pleasure of feeling warm sand and cool water on your skin in almost the same instance, only to have the privilege taken away in the cruellest of circumstances?
Or, just because the universe aligned itself in such a way during your conception, the delicacies of nature and human biology were exposed as you were brought into this world, forever blind to the sensations that one or more of these acts can evoke.
If you belong to the last two groups, then you will inevitably understand the frustration that comes from a lack of understanding – sometimes even ignorance – about your affliction. Now, I usually refrain as much as possible from writing in the first-person, but it seems apt to do so here.
Suffering with the inherited disease cystic fibrosis (and ironically, enduring a two week stay in the hospital as I write this) I have found disability to be a cage, caused by physical defects as well as social barriers. People are considerate enough, sure, but sometimes you just wish there was somebody who knew exactly how you were feeling at your lowest as well as your highest...
 Read the full article at We Got This Covered 
http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/disability-cinema-exploration-empowerment-understanding/
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advocate

ABLE-BODIED ACTORS AND DISABILITY DRAG: WHY DISABLED ROLES ARE ONLY FOR DISABLED PERFORMERS

by Scott Jordan Harris
Able-bodied actors should not play disabled characters. That they so often do should be a scandal. But it is not a scandal because we do not grant people with disabilities the same right to self-representation onscreen that we demand for members of other groups who struggle for social equality.
Consider "Glee", a TV show unmistakably self-satisfied with its inclusiveness. Its makers would never have considered having Rachel, the female lead, played by a man in drag. They would not have considered having Mercedes, the most prominent black character, played by a white actress in blackface. But when they cast Artie, the main disabled character, they chose an able-bodied actor and had him sit in a wheelchair and ape the appearance of a disabled person.
These comparisons with blackface and drag may seem inflammatory or outlandish but those of us who make them (such as the actors who protested the casting of the recent "Ironside" remake) do not do so lightly or in order to bring cheap attention to our cause. We do it because the analogy is exact. To argue that it isn't is to argue that disabled people are less equal than others.

 Read the full article at Roger & Ebert 

 (http://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/disabled-roles-disabled-performers)
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advocate

Call the Midwife is making bold steps in portraying disability



In today's culture we often forget that certain people's lives are constrained by the little things, such as tying shoelaces for example. Furthermore the want of a 'normal' life is something they have to strive for, and more importantly this struggle has a largely untold history. That is why as someone with a disability, I found Sunday night's episode of Call the Midwife both bold and ground-breaking. Its full cultural significance I am not quite sure we get yet. Consider this:
On a Sunday night, a prime-time mainstream TV channel depicted a Downs Syndrome woman going through a still birth, probably one of the emotionally toughest events anyone can be subjected to. This is a phenomenal cultural moment in that it demonstrates that Britain has matured and progressed in its understanding of disability.  Not only that, it draws us to the fact that this moment ought to be placed within a history of disability, a history that remains largely unwritten and that has been sidelined by mainstream society. To get a sense of this unwritten history of disability, consider the moment in the programme Jacob asked for help drinking his tea. Now today someone with Cerebral Palsy would just ask for a straw. But this just wasn’t thought of in the period in question. This scene impresses on us the liberating consequences of small things wider society takes for granted, and in doing so is just one example of why the programme was so important.

Read the full article at the Independent 
(http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/call-the-midwife-is-making-bold-steps-in-portraying-disability-9136655.html)
cerebral palsy

LACK OF REPRESENTATION IN FICTION: WHY IS THE DISABLED CHARACTER ALWAYS A CISGENDER, HETEROSEXUAL, WHITE MAN?




 

In fostering understanding and empathy towards marginalised groups, media representation is one of the most important tools at our disposal. Most people consume media in some form, through books, tv shows, film and comics and other types of media. Through this we learn about the world around us and the people in it from a very young age. Portraying marginalised groups accurately and sympathetically can remove some of the prejudice surrounding them, so including these characters is paramount. Disabled people are one of the groups who are still lacking accurate and respectful representation in the media.
There have been some major disabled characters in the past few years; Artie Abrams (Glee), Hermann Gottlieb (Pacific Rim), Walter Jr.(Breaking Bad), Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones), Bran Stark (Game of Thrones), Professor Xavier (X-Men), Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games) and Hiccup (How To Train Your Dragon) are among the most significant and well known. These characters all feature in popular films and TV shows and are very important for disabled representation.
Read the full article at Disability Intersections 
(http://disabilityintersections.com/2014/01/lack-of-representation-in-fiction-why-is-the-disabled-character-always-a-cisgender-heterosexual-white-man/)
physically disabled

Disabled Opportunity: The Entertainment Industry’s Discriminating Against Me

Posted by Ru Porter on 12/02/13 | Filed under Opinion

To become famous, you have to have a uniqueness that separates you from everyone else. But in some cases standing out can be a hindrance – especially if you’re disabled.

The film, music and television industries are already highly competitive and for individuals with physical handicaps achieving a high level of success is even slimmer. Additionally, there aren’t many public figures to represent Americans with disabilities on a mainstream level, which is why networks like NBC would rather hire able-bodied actors such as Blair Underwood to play a paraplegic detective on their latest cop drama, "Ironside". The show, which was part of NBC’s Fall 2013-14 programming, is a reboot of a 1960's drama touting the same name; and chronicles the life of an undercover officer who gets injured and confined to a wheelchair. To some, Ironside’s premise may sound unappealing, but personally I thought the pitch was great – not just because Underwood’s character is disabled, but also because it shed light on a topic that rarely gets any shine.

Read the full article at Refined Hype

(http://www.refinedhype.com/hyped/entry/disabled-chances)
Television & Movies

Richard Turner: My review of the film ‘A life without words’

Posted on October 7, 2013

I recently watched one of the most moving films I have ever seen. It was called A Life Without Words and it raised a lot of questions in my mind. It made me realise just how much we take for granted in this country and how hard it really is for many Deaf people living in the developing world with no access to basic healthcare services, audiology, education and even language.
Image
I went to see the documentary at the Royal College of Medicine in Central London. After the showing, there was a panel discussion with the film’s director, Adam Isenberg, and three other people. Dr Michael York, an anthropologist from University College London (UCL) chaired the panel discussion.
http://limpingchicken.com/2013/10/07/richard-turner-my-review-of-the-film-a-life-without-words/
deaf & hard of hearing

The Representation Of Disability On Television Is Alive And Well: But Is It Authentic?

Posted on:  by 


By Guest Blogger, Emily Buchanan
This year, a number of actors with disabilities enjoyed success in high profile television roles. From Emmy Award Winning Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones to RJ Mitte as Walt Junior inBreaking Bad, both television programs have been commercially successful and have turned Dinklage and Mitte into red carpet regulars.
Historically, able-bodied actors have been cast as disabled characters and are often praised for their “realistic” portrayal. Leonardo Dicaprio famously played an intellectually disabled character in What’s Eating Gilbert Grapeand said of the experience “I had to really research to get into the mind of somebody like that.” Able-bodied Sam Worthington played paralyzed marine Jake Sully in Avatar and Patrick Stewart has been paraplegic Professor X since the X-Men franchise began in 2000. Whilst suitable roles exist for actors with disabilities, it’s extremely difficult to get cast because big names guarantee box office success.
http://www.themobilityresource.com/the-representation-of-disability-on-television/
advocate

Game of Thrones wins award honoring disability awareness

By Winter Is Coming on October 22, 2013

 The Media Access Awards honor “members of the entertainment and broadcast industries for their efforts in promoting awareness of the disability experience, accessibility for people with disabilities, and the accurate depiction of characters with disabilities.”

 via Winter Is Coming 

 http://winteriscoming.net/2013/10/game-of-thrones-wins-award-honoring-disability-awareness/
advocate

10 Films About Mental Illness



POSTED BY INSPIRE MALIBU, AUG 13, 2013 • DUAL DIAGNOSIS • COMMENTS CLOSED
One out of every four adults over the age of 18 in the United States suffers from mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. This is an estimated 57.7 million people, making mental disorders the leading cause of disability in America.
It’s no surprise then that stories about issues of mental health are heavily woven into American cinema. Here is a list of ten films about mental illness.
Films About Mental Illness

Leaving Las Vegas

Ben Sanderson, the lead character, suffers from clinical depression and has lost everything due to his alcoholism. He goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death, and in the process, forms a relationship with a troubled prostitute. This film is based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same title, written by John O’Brien. Sadly, O’Brien committed suicide two weeks into the film’s production.

Punch-Drunk Love

In this romantic comedy/drama, Barry Egan is afflicted with an anxiety disorder. The film highlights his lonely existence marked by occasional fits of rage, and reveals a family where emotional abuse is the norm.  Barry has to navigate the symptoms of his life and mental health while falling in love for the first time.
Read the full list at Inspire Malibu 
anxiety

Vulture Diagnoses TV’s Most Notable





    • 9/19/12 at 4:00 PM
In the recent New York Magazine 2012 Emmy issue, our TV critic Matt Zoller Seitz wrote about how the best shows are essentially turning viewers into shrinks. But why not turn to an actual expert? We had UCLA-affiliated psychiatrist Paul Puri diagnose TV’s most compellingly mental anti-heroes — and prescribe the treatments that might ease their conditions (but make their Emmy-nominated shows less interesting).
Homeland
Character Name: Carrie Mathison 
Diagnosis: Bipolar I, traits of borderline personality disorder.
Symptoms: Periods of depression and mania, delusional thoughts, lack of personal boundaries, emotional instability.
Recommended Medications: Mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics.
Recommended Therapy: Mentalization-based therapy, “which helps you recognize mutually opposing beliefs in your head. Like, how do you process the fact that you’re studying this guy and you’re also sleeping with him?”
Louie
Character Name: Louie
Diagnosis: Mild depression, compartmentalization, self-sabotaging tendencies.
Symptoms: Suppressing parts of his personality, difficulty connecting with others, mild anger issues.
Recommended Medication: A low dose of antidepressants for a trial period.
Recommended Therapy: Role-playing as part of a broader program of psychotherapy. “He might rehearse different scenarios and tease out the things that he does to sabotage his relationships.”that he lived, that didn’t really exist yet.”
Read the full list at Vulture 
anxiety

Why is it acceptable for an able-bodied actor to play a disabled character?


Why is it acceptable for an able-bodied actor to play a disabled character?

We no longer accept white actors blacking up – yet the able-bodied Daniel Radcliffe is playing a physically disabled character in the West End. How come?

Posted by
Thursday 20 June 2013 

As I've written here recently, it's increasingly obvious that there's still a long way to go to increase employment opportunities for black and east Asian actors. Companies, directors, and casting directors need to be more alert to the decisions they make around recruiting actors. But what about opportunities for disabled actors?

Jenny Sealey, artistic director of the disabled-led theatre companyGraeae and co-artistic director of the 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony, pointed out in an interview I did with her last year that prejudice against disabled actors remains rife. She cited the example of someone who told her that, if a play wasn't conceived by its writer to be performed by a disabled cast, and you cast an actor who was a wheelchair user, the play would become about that. "I was speechless," said Sealey. "Nobody would say that casting a black actor makes a play become about that – so why is a wheelchair user any different?"

Why indeed. But whereas it would now be unthinkable for a white actor to black up to play Othello, it seems that most of us don't even blink when able-bodied actors play disabled roles. In fact, there is perhaps no quicker way to glory at awards ceremonies, particularly in Hollywood movies. Jon Voight and Daniel Day-Lewis both won Oscars for cinematic portrayals of disabled characters...
Read the whole story at The Guardian 
Television & Movies
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