The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge opens registration Saturday, allowing filmmakers to compete with their short films for a $5,000 seed fund/film finishing grant from Adobe, among other prizes.
The challenge, now in its 12th year, gives filmmakers five days to create a short film that addresses disability inclusion and aligns with a specific genre. This year’s genre is “Thriller & Suspense.” The competition is set for April 1-6, and the awards ceremony at Sony Pictures Studios is on May 8.
The Adobe grant, awarded from the Adobe Film & TV Fund, gives $5,000 to the five winners of Best Director, Best Actor, Best Writer, Best Editor and Best Film. The winners may use the grant to continue development of the short film, expand the short into a feature or series, or both.
In addition to those five categories, the films will be considered for the Best Awareness Campaign category. The prizes also include $2,000 cash, mentorship, computers, IMDbPro memberships and festival screenings.
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Previous participants can submit their past EDFC projects to compete for five $25,000 grants.
“Disability continues to be frequently overlooked in discussions,” Nic Novicki, EDFC director and founder and Easterseals Southern California board member, said in a statement. “As the entertainment industry continues to strive to build a more diverse and inclusive workplace, we must continue to keep disability in the conversation. We are honored to be a resource to Hollywood for talent with disabilities and appreciate the industry’s long-standing support of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. That support has enabled us to be able to showcase outstanding new talent and provide educational workshops throughout the year.”