Oscar®-worthy talent shines at Disorder: the Rare Disease Film Festival
at Cinepolis Chelsea in Manhattan on May 18, 2020.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK, NY
Disorder: The Rare Disease Film Festival (Disorder: RDFF) was started by two ultra-rare disease dads to showcase films from around the world that address the challenges of life with a rare disease.
Films for 2020 are still being selected, but some early selections have been announced. Among them are filmmakers who have already earned high praise from the Academy Awards®. One of these films marks a return to Disorder:RDFF by Academy Award nominated Polish filmmaker Tomasz Sliwinski. His Oscar®-nominated short documentary “Our Curse” screened at the first edition of Disorder: RDFF in 2017. It followed his family as their son faced a diagnosis of CCHS or Ondine's Curse. This year Sliwinski has a new fictional narrative film “Ondine,” which imagines an adult with CCHS trying to live the sort of life the rest of us take for granted.
The festival boasts that it screens “The most rare stories in the world.” Many of these films are one-in-a-million stories. In fact, one of the films featured is titled “One in a Million” from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Ross Kaufman (“Born into Brothels”). Kaufman co-directed with Emmy nominee Jeremiah Zagar (“Captivated: The Trails of Pamela Smart”). Their short film beautifully addresses Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome.
The festival's organizers will screen dozens of films dealing with some aspect of the 7,000 rare diseases, which affect 1 in 10 Americans. "We couldn't be more energized by the enormous response from filmmakers all over the world who are sharing these powerful rare-disease stories," said Bo Bigelow, one of the festival's co-founders.
“We're so glad to have not just documentaries, but fictional films, animated films, even a comedy or two,” said co-founder Daniel DeFabio. “We tell people: You may never be more moved at the movies.”
Other diseases addressed by the films screened at Disorder:RDFF have included Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, NGLY1, Batten, Sanfilippo, and Mitochondrial Disease.
In the film “Deep Blue Breath,” several well known Hollywood actors come together to make a film envisioned by a boy with VATER syndrome. Oscar nominee Sean Astin stars with Natasha Gregson Wagner (“High Fidelity”) and Ernie Hudson (“Ghostbusters”) in a film directed by Student Academy Award winner Patricia Cardoso (“Real Women Have Curves”). This touching story makes leaps into animation and special effects as a sick boy imagines his battle with his disorder.
The festival will also bring back some of its most popular selections from their previous events, which took place in San Francisco in 2019 and Boston, MA in 2017. Academy Award nominated actress Mary McDonnell narrates the documentary “Menkes Disease: Finding Help & Hope.” Academy Award nominated actor William H. Macy narrates the documentary “This is Michelle” on the rare disease Epidermolysis Bullosa.
Academy Award winning director Cynthia Wade was at the 2019 edition of Disorder:RDFF to speak, following two screenings of her documentary on a rare cancer “Beyond Blue”.
Filmmakers have until Rare Disease Day, February 29, 2020, to enter their work.
Films can be submitted to the festival at (https://filmfreeway.com/DisorderTheRareDiseaseFilmFestival)
Disorder: RDFF aims to increase awareness of these diseases among not only the general public but medical researchers and industry as well. The festival's goal is to promote collaborations among rare-disease stakeholders in order to reach cures and treatments. Between some of the film screenings, rare disease researchers and patient advocates will also share stories from their experiences. These discussions have been shown to spark new thinking towards translation applications of current treatments and inspire avenues for new research. Additionally, many filmmakers attending the festival will have an opportunity to participate in questions and answers with the audience following the presentation of their films.
More information on the festival can be found here: www.rarediseasefilmfestival.com.
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Photos are available to the press on request.
A highlight video can be viewed online
Media Contact
Daniel DeFabio
daniel@rarediseasefilmfestival.com