Two film festivals for New Jersey families of a child with a disability are coming at the end of April and early May. These are the Montclair Film Festival, in Montclair, NJ, and the Sprout Film Festival, in Edison, NJ. These are acclaimed and noteworthy films about and for people with disabilities.
Montclair Film Festival
The Montclair Film Festival is once again offering sensory-friendly screenings and highlighting two special needs-related films!
The following exceptional films will be shown at this year’s festival, April 28 – May 7 
- Swim Team. This award-wining film chronicles the extraordinary rise of the Jersey Hammerheads – a competitive swim team of autistic teens. From the description:
“What would you do if your community gave up on your child? In New Jersey, the parents of one autistic boy take matters into their own hands, forming a competitive swim team by recruiting a diverse group of autistic teens from around the state to train and compete as a team – challenging them every step of the way with high expectations and zero pity. It chronicles the extraordinary rise of the Jersey Hammerheads, showcasing their incredible accomplishments and their powerful quest for inclusion, independence, and a life fueled by the irreplaceable feeling of winning. Swim Team is a touching and real look at what young adults on the autism spectrum and their families are capable of and the challenges they face.”
When: Saturday, April 29, at 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 30, at 12:15 p.m. There will be a sensory-friendly screening on Friday, May 5, at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Bow Tie Bellevue Cinema 2 – Montclair, NJ
How: Purchase tickets online here.
- Dina. This Sundance Film Festival award winning film portrays a beautiful romance blooming between two unforgettable adults. From the description:
“Dina, is an unconventionally wonderful documentary that follows the emerging relationship between an eccentric suburban Philadelphia woman and a Walmart door greeter. But the dynamic between the two, each living a rich life at different positions on the autism spectrum, creates a wonderfully candid, comic touch that avoids every single documentary cliché in favor of a deeply empathetic and often hilarious portrait of a couple navigating the pitfalls of love.”
When: Tuesday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m., and Wednesday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Bow Tie Bellevue Cinema 2 – Montclair, NJ
How: Purchase tickets online here.
Sprout Film Festival
The Sprout Film Festival was so well liked last year, it is back for 2017. The festival comprises 14 short films in one day. Sproutflix is the only distributor of films featuring actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc of NJ will be showing these 14 films on Saturday, April 29, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ. Anthony Di Salvo, Founder and Executive Director of Sprout, introduce the films and hold a Q&A after the showing.
This is very much a family-friendly event, especially for those with a loved one with an intellectual/developmental disability. This population will shine in the positive and very human depiction in the community.
