Film fest to bring awareness to those with disabilities

Photo Courtesy of Ocean Heaven"Ocean Heaven" revolves around a father attempting to teach his autistic son necessary life skills.

One provides the story of a father’s tireless love for his autistic son, while another tells of a man who lost the ability to read, write and speak following a massive stroke.

The ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival will be making its way to Staten Island this week with three films played at the Joan and Alan Bernikow JCC in Sea View.

The fourth annual festival is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different disabilities. It presents award-winning films by and about people with disabilities and offers post-screening discussions and other programming.

On Saturday at 7 p.m., the JCC will screen “Ocean Heaven” starring Jet Li as a father who attempts to teach his autistic son the life skills necessary to survive on his own. There also will be an art exhibit from the children of Community Resources.

Photo Courtesy of Aphasia"Aphasia" tells the story of actor Carl McIntyre, who suffered a massive stroke at age 44 and lost the ability to read, write and speak.

“Mabul,” a coming-of-age drama revolving around a family whose eldest son has autism and returns from an institution, will be shown Sunday at 1 p.m. It will be accompanied by the short film, “Anything You Can Do” and special guest speakers, Elaine Hall and Diane Isaacs, co-authors of “Seven Keys to Unlock Autism: Making Miracles in the Classroom” (Wiley).

The film “Aphasia” will be shown next Monday at 7 p.m. It tells the true story of actor Carl McIntyre, who suffered a massive stroke at the age of 44 and lost the ability to read, write and speak. Special guest speakers Sharon Wasserstein, a speech-language pathologist, and Ellayne Ganzfried, executive director of the National Aphasia Association, will follow.

Attendance is free and donations are welcome. To RSVP, call Brian Faughnan at 718-475-5291 or e-mail bfaughnan@sijcc.com. Walk-ins are also welcome. For more information about the festival, visit ReelAbilities.org.