Laughing with Us: Comedy and Disability

ADMISSION IS FREE!

Download a copy of the Film Fest Poster in PDF (example at right)

This festival is sponsored by:

The Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee (BCCC), The Center on Human Policy, The Facilitated Communication Institute, The Kaleidoscope Project Office of the Senior Vice President of Student Affairs & Office of the Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, The Division of Student Affairs U.Encounter Grant, the Office of Disability Services, The Writing Program, School of Education, LGBT Resource Center, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and many others...

See below for a full schedule or contact the Center on Human Policy @ 443-3851 or thechp@syr.edu

Accessible Parking and Directions

Accessible parking is located in the Quad 1 parking lot between Maxwell, the College of Law, and the Hall of Languages. Driving through campus on Waverly, take a left on S. Crouse. Follow up as it turns into Crouse Dr. You will see the lots ahead and the Hall of Languages (A large, gray stone building) on your left.

Enter the Hall of Languages from the back entrance--this is closest to you from the Quad 1 lot. There will be two sets of doors. The second set has an accessible entrance with a press button for the doors. Go through the first floor door and there is an elevator on your left. Ride the elevator up to the second floor and around to the left is 207. Restrooms are found in the central foyer. Accessible restrooms are found in the central foyer on the first floor.

If possible, those who are not SU students, faculty, or staff, may want to call at least a week in advance to receive a parking permit. Otherwise, the closest lots are the Marshall** and Waverly** lots or the Crouse Irving Memorial (CIM) parking garage, located on the corner of Waverly and S. Crouse. Walking from here, cross Waverly and follow S. Crouse up as it turns into Crouse Dr. You will see the Quad 1 lots ahead and the Hall of Languages to your left. It is easiest to get to 207 from the back entrance. Also, since the film fest is on a weekend, there is open parking in all of the orange lots on campus (see campus parking map linked below).

**SU student permits are valid after 5 pm in these lots.

To view a Campus Parking Map, go to: http://bfasweb.syr.edu/parking/north_map.html

For more information, please call the Center on Human Policy @ 443-3851.

Full Schedule

Friday, October 15

7: 30 - Pumpkin (2002) Directed by Anthony Abrams and Adam Larson Broder, 113 min.

Perky, perfect Carolyn (Christina Ricci) and her Alpha Omega Pi sisters plan to win Sorority of the Year by impressing the Greek Council with a killer charity: coaching mentally challenged athletes for the regional Challenged Games. When Carolyn's assigned to coach Pumpkin (Hank Harris) she's terrified at first, but soon sees in him something she's never seen before: a gentle humanity and honest clarity that touches her soul. To the horror of her friends and Pumpkin's overprotective mother (Brenda Blethyn), Carolyn falls in love, becoming an outcast in the process.

9:15-10:00 Discussion and opening reception

Saturday, October 16

10:00-11:00 – Kids’ CartoonFest-Selected episodes- Clifford, Dragon Tales

11:00-11:30 Discussion

Lunch (On your own)

But, Seriously Folks - A Series of Non-Comedic Films on Autism
This series is co-sponsored by the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication and The Facilitated Communication Institute.

12:30-12:45 - A is for Autism (1992) Directed by Tim Webb, 11 min.

A glimpse into the world of autism, with words, drawings, music and animation all contributed by people with labels of autism. Autism is described very differently here than by most medical and educational professionals.

12:45-12:50 – Outside/Inside (2002) Directed by Nick Pentzell; Produced by Gwen Waltz, 5 min.

In this innovative short, director Nick Pentzell utilizes a multi-media approach to give viewers a sense of what it is like to have his form of autism. Produced by Gwen Waltz, Outside/Inside is a successful and informative film about a widely misunderstood condition.

1:00-1:40 – Autism is a World (2004) Produced and directed by Gerardine Wurzburg, 40 min.

Sue Rubin was trapped inside her body. Inside behaviors she couldn’t control. Living with a disability still barely understood. Sue Rubin has autism. And, until age 13, they thought she was retarded. But after a new technique gave Sue the ability to communicate, her world transformed. Now, Sue takes the audience inside autism. What she feels. How she relates to others. Why she clutches spoons or finds comfort in falling water. What it has been like to go to college. Beyond theories and experts, this is a view through the eyes of an extraordinary woman into the complicated world of autism.

1:45-3:00 Discussion

3:00-3:30 Break

3:30-5:00- Comedy on Television

Perhaps the most original sitcom pilot in recent years, this first episode combines sharp writing with a hyperbolic camera style reminiscent of Parker Lewis Can't Lose. Malcolm introduces us to his world, dominated by omnipresent schoolyard bully Spath and made worse by his enforced friendship with Stevie, an asthmatic wheelchair genius. When a battery of tests reveals that Malcolm has an IQ of 165, he is moved into Stevie's special accelerated class, despite his protests that "around here being intelligent is exactly the same as being radioactive." On the bright side, Malcolm discovers a practical application for intelligence when he and Stevie spontaneously hit on a solution to Spath's persistent tyranny.

Malcolm in the Middle
Episode 6
Sleepover

Malcolm sleeps over at Stevie's house and, appalled at his over-protected lifestyle, persuades him to sneak out to a late-night games arcade where Stevie's wheelchair is stolen. Meanwhile, Francis copes with a bullying group of cadets by telling them home tales about real intimidation--by Lois.

Family Guy:
Episode 5:
A Hero Sits Next Door

When Peter accidentally knocks out Mr. Weeds best player Guillermo for the company softball team he is threatened to find someone else as good as him. He has a lot of trouble until Peters new neighbor Joe shows his credentials. But when he finds out he's in a wheelchair Peter is jealous of him and thinks he's family idolizes Joe more than him because he's a hero. Peter pulls a crazy stunt by trying to rescue a bunch of people from a bank robbery.

South Park
Episode 404:
Timmy 2000

6:30 - A Different Approach (1978) Produced by the South Bay Mayors’ Committee for Employment of the Handicapped of Southern California, Directed by Fern Field, 20 min.

An all-star educational film about the positive side of hiring people with disabilities. A fictional California mayors’ committee sit and watch the film that an up and coming director (Michael Keaton) has assembled to sell companies on “hiring the handicapped.” The film takes "a different approach" by combining several hilarious approaches--most of them suggested by Hollywood personalities including Betty White, Carroll O’Connor, and Jim Nabors.

7:00 - F**K the Disabled (Keeping it Real) (2001) Directed by Eli Kabillio, 83 min.

Based on Greg Walloch's one-man autobiographical show "White Disabled Talent," Keeping It Real is part stand-up comedy performance, part behind-the-scenes day-in-the-life, and part dramatization of Greg's monologues. The title of the film is based on a true story in which a female friend of Greg’s asks if he is gay because he is crippled and therefore women won’t sleep with him. The film stars Greg Walloch, Stephen Baldwin, Paul Borghese, Anne Meara, Michael Musto, and Deborah Yates.

8:30 - Discussion with Greg Walloch

9:30-10:30 Reception

Sunday, October 17

(It is expected that folks will eat lunch before attending these screenings.)

12:00 – Able to Laugh (1993) Produced by Michael J. Dougan, 27 min.

Enter the world of disability as interpreted by six professional comics- who happen to be disabled. This video is about the awkward ways disabled and nondisabled people sometimes relate to each other and about how humor can remove the barriers of fear, guilt, vulnerability and misunderstanding.

1:00 – 50 First Dates (2004) Directed by Peter Segal, 99 min.

Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is a veterinarian living in Hawaii who enjoys the company of vacationing women. He leaves the playboy life behind after he falls for Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore). Lucy experiences short-term memory loss. Since she can never remember meeting him, Henry has to romance Lucy every single day and hope that she falls for him. Eventually, he develops the most respectful and effective ways to support her and their relationship. The film includes strong comedic, supporting roles by Rob Schneider and Sean Astin.

2:30-3:00 Discussion

3:00-3:15 Break

3:15 – 3:45 Family Guy Episode, Episode 43, Ready, Willing and Disabled

When Joe loses a thief in a chase, he also loses his self-confidence and pride as a police officer. Peter becomes determined to help Joe and offers to train him for the decathlon at the Olympics for handicapped athletes. Peter spikes Joe's drink with steroids and he goes on to win the gold medal and fame. Meanwhile, Stewie, Meg and Chris fight over a money clip and twenty-six dollars.

3:45 - Annie Dearest: The Real Miracle Worker (2003) Directed by Terry Galloway, Donna Nudd, and Diane Wilkens, 8 min.

A demented camp video parody of the disability classic The Miracle Worker, a film that has intimidated as well as inspired generations of deaf and hard of hearing children since its release in 1962. The video satirizes the often brutal “teaching” relationship between deaf and blind Helen Keller and her mentor Annie Sullivan.

4:00 - Stuck on You (2003) Directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly, 118 min.

Conjoined twins from Martha's Vineyard move to Los Angeles so that one of them can pursue an acting career. The very essence of the relationship between Bob (Matt Damon) and Walt (Greg Kinnear) is tested by the fame and fortune that arrives after landing a job on Cher's television show.

6:00 - Discussion

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Laughing with Us:
Comedy and Disability

When: October 15-17, 2004

Where: 107 Hall of Languages