FWD-Doc

With a record breaking number of films, this is @disabilityfilmchallenge ’s biggest year yet. It’s something we and our community look forward to every year, and brings out the true talent and creativity of our disability community. FWD-Doc member films this year include: ⭐ A Heartfelt Beat | Writer/Director: @naderbahu ⭐ The Audition | Actor/Writer: @austin_joseph.s ⭐ Back to the Dark Ages | Co-producer: @2ndchapterprod ⭐ Breathing Underwater | Writers/Directors: @spacedreamproductions ⭐ Jittery, Fluttery, Antsy | Director/Co-writer: @aliseambaine ⭐ Pros and Coins | Co-director: @dashiellmeier ⭐ Will You Carry Me? | Executive Producer: @boxofficebax ⭐ Work Trip | Director: @bionic.brunette Link in bio to check out all the films! 💡 NOTE: Films were only included in this post if members filled out the form in the FWD-Doc Facebook/Google Groups, and through members notifying communications staff. Be sure to check the online member groups for more opportunities to be highlighted like this, and comment your EDFC film below, if you weren’t in this roundup! #eastersealsdisabilityfilmchallenge #edfc #disabilityfilmchallenge

2026 is moving fast, but we haven’t forgotten about the amazing accomplishments that our members and their projects received last year! We could not be more proud to see our community of disabled and allied filmmakers receiving the shine they deserve. From Sundance to SXSW, Emmys to Webbys, and everywhere in between, our members were making major moves last year with their careers and projects: 🎥 16 member films 🏆 12 industry awards 🔎 7 member recognitions 🎫 17 festivals and challenges For a complete accessible version, visit fwd-doc.org/news/2025-member-awards-recap at the link in our bio or via the image description in the comments section. The alt text had to be condensed due to character limits on Instagram. Note: Info on awards pulled from responses in the FWD-Doc community within the parameters we set for this post. If your film was not included, please comment below with your successes and we will work to improve our process going forward!

Big news for FWD-Doc, and how you can make a big impact 🌠 #linkinbio to donate Disabled filmmakers have faced constant threats to their lives and careers this year, from public media defunding to Medicaid cuts. But together, we can make a difference when you give What do your donations support? 💘 An online community of 1,300+ disabled and allied filmmakers ♿ Interpreters and accessibility in everything we do 🌟 Uplifting media by, for and about people with disabilities 🎥 Programs that prioritize accessibility and advancing the skills and careers of disabled makers 📚 Field-changing work to improve industry accessibility, representation and resources Now as a 501c3 your donation goes directly to us, and is tax deductible. Look forward with FWD-Doc and give today!

LA 👀 get a first look at new work from @cashmerejasmine @fakingprofessionalism @ginachindavis as they preview their #BraveFutures films at Today at Apple: Nuance of Neurodivergence May 21st 🧠✨ RSVP free for a preview of: Cashmere Jasmine: “CrashOut Diaries” [When it comes to a Crash Out the only way out is through, these are the inner thoughts on how we experience, recover, and repair] Cedric Tai: “A Neuroqueer Film Is Happening” [Un-disciplinary artist Cedric Tai invents an interactive ‘Neuroqueer Film’ asking friends everything from "what does a producer do?" to "what could this film even be?”, a meandering spiral of film ideas, transformations, and experiments.] Gina Chin-Davis: “Clean Enough” [Trapped in a looping ritual of handwashing, a figure chases the feeling of “clean enough” as the cycle intensifies—until a quiet moment of resistance breaks through.] check the link in bio to RSVP today. 📷: @ellecolumbo #BraveFutures #NuanceOfNeurodivergence #weareotv #TodayAtApple

Gina Chin-Davis (she/her) is the award-winning filmmaker behind some of the most unexpected and necessary stories on screen right now. Her feature "I Can't Sleep" won Best Script at the Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival and Best Sci-Fi Film at MidWest WeirdFest. Her comedy doc "Nina G: Stutterer Interrupted" about the SF Bay Area's only female stuttering stand-up comedian is streaming now on Amazon Prime. now she's bringing her Brave Futures film to a live audience and we cannot wait. Brave Futures: Nuance of Neurodivergence is May 21 at the Apple Tower Theatre in LA. tickets at the link in bio. follow Gina @ginachindavis #weareotv #BraveFutures

We had a REALLY good time at @reelabilitiesny — congrats to all who won awards and who screened their films. We hope that everyone soaked up the amazing energy that happens when disabled creatives come together in a disability-forward space. Every year, we look forward to the events by, for and about people with disabilities. These events are the few places where our differences are honored, our needs are respected and heard, and where we are not the “others.” What went down at the festival? ✨ Celebrated the pitch winners with a FWD-Doc sponsored reception ✨ Had our ED Cassidy Dimon speak on a panel about research, inclusion and representation ✨ Cheered on members like @cameronmakesmovies , @julieforrestwyman , @lcarterlong , @jdasilvax , @elliottfilm , @radhamehta , @bionic.brunette and @iamjulietromeo at their screenings, pitches and panels — awesome job! ✨ Met a ton of members (and potential members 👀), debuting some of our new materials like braille postcards and our revamped member project tracking initiative If you were at ReelAbilities and are a disabled mediamaker or active ally making disability media, join FWD-Doc to unlock a resourceful and supportive global community. Check the link in our bio for more info on how to become a member.

Cashmere Jasmine (she/they) is the kind of storyteller that makes you rethink what film can even do. A first-generation Afro-Caribbean writer/director from South Florida, Cashmere blends intellectual rigor with biting irreverence across music videos, indie films, and docs for Disney+ and PBS. NAACP nominations, Webbys, Anthem Awards, Tellys and she’s only getting started. Late-diagnosed and fully leaning into her neurodivergence with a warped sense of humor, her Brave Futures film digs into contradiction, discomfort and absurdism in the most gorgeous way. come see it in person. Brave Futures: Nuance of Neurodivergence is May 21 at the Apple Tower Theatre in LA. link in bio for tickets. follow her @cashmerejasmine #weareotv #BraveFutures

Cedric Tai (she/he/they) makes art that lives in the spaces between structure and subversion. Their conceptual practice brings together neuroscientists, disability justice advocates, somatic therapists and anti-capitalist thinkers to co-create work that makes "mental health" political. From secretly planting miniature artworks on strangers to building Neuroqueer Film Workshops where every participant walks away with their own version of the film Cedric's work refuses to exist in just one place. and honestly it has to be experienced. Brave Futures: Nuance of Neurodivergence is May 21 at the Apple Tower Theatre in LA. get your tickets at the link in bio and follow Cedric @fakingprofessionalism #weareotv #BraveFutures

When the director of Disposable Humanity GOES IN 🔥 and doesn’t 👏 stop 👏 🥵 THANK YOU NY for turning out for the NY premiere and to ReelAbilities NYC for platforming disabled creators and anchoring it in important fields like disability studies 👏 👏 👏 Ravit, Isaac, Lawrence, Faye, Connor, and all the volunteers. Everyone goes in and gives their ALL. An incredibly festival, there is simply nothing like it (other festivals take note, this is the future). We are referencing several disability studies authors in this post that you should read: Faye Ginsburg’s (@fayeginsburg ) Disability Worlds, Simi Linton’s My Body Politic, and David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder’s (@dtmitchel ) Narrative Prosthesis. We are also referencing trailblazing film programs like @slamdancegroup UNSTOPPABLE, @riverrunfilm LIMITLESS, and of course REELABILITIES NYC who bring in people with disabilities to watch and program their slates and rely on the work of disabled people to create a more equitable media space.

A sneak peek at what we've been up to at @reelabilitiesny 👀 Thank you to all the early rising members who came to our member meetup brunch the other day! Of course love when a meetup is lively and bustling but we also deeply appreciate these more intimate experiences together. More to come very soon once we're settled again. Have a great rest of #ReelabilitiesNY! [ID: Chile (FWD-Doc Community Manager) and a group of five FWD-Doc members gather around a brunch table in NYC, smiling at the camera.]

Thursday 5.21.26 #BraveFutures touches down in Los Angeles with our next iteration exploring neurodivergence. Today At Apple | Brave Futures: The Nuance of Neurodivergence is a premiere screening + live filmmaker conversation presented in partnership with @fwd.doc x @apple . Meet the visionaries: ✨ @cashmerejasmine , Darkly comedic Afro-Caribbean writer/director completely her own genre. ✨ Cedric Tai @fakingprofessionalism , conceptual artist & filmmaker making work where neurodivergent experience meets anti-capitalist imagination. ✨ @ginachindavis , award-winning filmmaker telling the stories that the industry keeps trying to skip over. 📍 Apple Tower Theater, LA 🔗 Free RSVP in bio These are the kind of films that change your perspective. Don't miss it. #weareotv #BraveFutures #NuanceOfNeurodivergence #TodayAtApple

@reelabilitiesny is next week, and here’s what’s on our lineup as an organization: Monday, April 27 MEETUP 💖 FWD-Doc Member Meetup ⏩ 10:30am on the Upper West Side (Location in Facebook & Google Groups!) PANEL 💬 The Impact Report: New Research On Inclusion & Representation ft. Cassidy Dimon (FWD-Doc ED) ⏩ 2:30pm at @mm_jccmanhattan Tuesday, April 28 RECEPTION 🥂 Networking Reception & Pitch Winners Announced ⏩ 5:00pm at @mm_jccmanhattan Don’t forget to check out all the amazing films, industry leaders, panels and parties happening at Reelabilities, and make the most of this incredible event centering disability AND media. Huge shoutout and thank you to all the FWD-Doc members who make Reelabilities possible. #reelabilitiesny #disabilitymedia #disabledfilmmakers Image Description: Over a black and purple background, with notebook paper lines, yellow and white text reads: "The FWD-Doc Agenda 2026: Reelabilities NYC. Mon, Apr 27. FWD-Doc Meetup @ Reelabilities. 10:30am. Upper West Side (Manhattan). Details in Facebook & Google Groups for members! The Impact Report: New Research on Inclusion and Representation. Industry Summit panel ft. Cassidy Dimon (FWD-Doc). 2:30PM. Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Tue, Apr 28. PITCH WINNERS ANNOUNCED + NETWORKING RECEPTION. 5:00PM. Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Co-hosted by FWD-Doc."