Screenings
Current festivals will be hybrid live event and online. Online screenings geoblocked to the US.
Sept 29 - Oct 3 2021
DALLAS
VIDEOFEST 34
LIVE SCREENING
Angelika Film Center
Dallas, TX
Sept 17, 20 & 25 2021
CONTEXT FILM FESTIVAL
LIVE SCREENING
Moscow & St. Petersburg
Sept 8 2021
REELABILITIES FILM FESTIVAL
LIVE SCREENING PREMIERE
Carnegie Museum Theater
Pittsburgh, PA
AUG 2 - 8 2021
BENTONVILLE
FILM FESTIVAL
LIVE SCREENING PREMIERE
Walmart World Room
Bentonville, AK
AUG 5 2021
BENTONVILLE
FILM FESTIVAL
ONLINE FESTIVAL
Click to reserve your ticket now!
May 7 - 16 2021
DOCLANDS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
ONLINE FESTIVAL
April 29 - May 5 2021
REEL ABILITIES FILM FESTIVAL
ONLINE FESTIVAL
April 7 - 20 2021
CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
ONLINE FESTIVAL
Nov 11 - 29 2020
DOC NYC
World Premiere
ONLINE FESTIVAL
About
Two decades of exclusive access, plus a lifetime of archival footage, depict Bill Shannon from his early years, to his rise as an award-winning dancer and cutting-edge performance artist whose work finds outlet at prestigious venues worldwide.
CRUTCH documents Bill’s extraordinary journey: the history of his medical odyssey and his struggles with chronic pain, the evolution of his crutch dancing and skating, his rise to become a world-renowned performance artist, and his transformation from an angry skate punk to an international hero.
CRUTCH also dives into Bill’s provocative street performances, in which he exposes the hidden world of assumptions disabled people encounter in public, on a daily basis. While the film questions his early exploitation of strangers’ good Samaritan impulses, it also marvels at Bill’s ability to create solutions and empower others to navigate similar challenges.
From childhood “cripple” to international provocateur, CRUTCH is an emotional story of a one-of-a-kind artist’s struggle to be understood.
FROM THE PRODUCER OF
Director, Producer
Sachi Cunningham
Sachi Cunningham is an award winning documentary filmmaker and Associate Professor of Journalism at San Francisco State University. A graduate of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and Brown University, Cunningham has worked on the staffs of PBS FRONTLINE/World, where she covered stories from the first Presidential election in Afghanistan to sex trafficking in Dubai, and the Los Angeles Times, where she was recruited to start their first video team. When not making documentaries, Cunningham can be found swimming somewhere in the Pacific, where she is known for her pioneering big wave water surf photography
EXCUTIVE PRODUCER
Stephen Nemeth
Stephen Nemeth formed and heads up Rhino Films, the independent film company that originated as a division of iconoclastic record label Rhino Records. He has produced and executive produced dozens of films including THE SESSIONS, C.O.G., FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE, RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH, SPACEMAN and the upcoming FEAR AND LOATHING IN ASPEN. Nemeth's documentary credits include DOGTOWN AND Z BOYS, WARDANCE, FUEL, ROBERT WILLIAMS MR. BITCHIN’, GOOD FORTUNE, LOGAN’S SYNDROME, KISS THE GROUND, 137 SHOTS and HIGHER LOVE. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and on the board of numerous non-profit organizations including Friends of the Earth and the International Documentary Association.
Director, Producer, Writer
Vayabobo
Vayabobo (Chandler Evans) is a writer/director, whose award winning videos have garnered over 150 million views online. Vayabobo wrote and directed for Disney Interactive and subsequently helped to launch Buzzfeed Video. He wrote Visions of Everest, a feature length documentary about the only blind man to summit Mount Everest and has written for TV shows on CBS, Syfy and CW. His work in advertising includes directing commercial spots for companies such as Disney, Singapore Airlines, Hamilton Beach and KB Homes. When not working, you can catch Vayabobo playing and documenting Capoeira around the world.
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Earl Cole
Earl Cole is the Founder & CEO of Perthes Kids Foundation and Executive Director of Camp Perthes International, with locations in the USA, Australia, England & Colombia. He also serves as California State Ambassador for the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). As a child, he was diagnosed with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, and dealt with the painful effects of the disease into adulthood. He is a serial entrepreneur and producer, who has worked on projects for major brands such as Disney, Sony, FOX, Honda, Starbucks, and the United Nations Foundation. He is also widely known for winning CBS' popular TV franchise, Survivor (Fiji).
ABOUT WOMAN OF HER WORD: Michele Spitz is a professional voiceover artist, media accessibility consultant and public speaker, disability advocate and philanthropist. For the past 7 years, she has dedicated her career to making the world accessible to people of all communities by providing her vocal talents to filmmakers, publishers, event and speaking venues, and charitable organizations. Wherever Michele's voice is, her heart is also; short and full-length documentaries, feature films, museums, educational programming, corporate and fundraising videos, audio manuals, VOG, and public service announcements.
As a philanthropist, Michele has been providing post production audio description grants to multiple filmmakers, production companies, film festivals, museums, nonprofits and media entertainment organizations.