ReelAbilities New Jersey
ReelAbilities authentically showcases disability experiences and talent both on screen and behind the camera through award-winning short and feature-length films. Each screening at Kean University includes disability-led discussions that foster community dialogue, challenge stereotypes and promote access — fulfilling ReelAbilities’s mission of reframing disability through powerful storytelling.
The hybrid ReelAbilities Film Festival at Kean University runs from Thursday, April 3, to Saturday, April 5, 2025, with options to attend in person at Kean’s Union campus or stream virtually from home.
- Screening 1: Thursday, April 3, at 10:00 am
- Screening 2: Thursday, April 3, at 6:00 pm
- Screening 3: Friday, April 4, at 6:00 pm
- Screening 4: Saturday, April 5, at 2:00 pm
- Screening 5: Saturday, April 5, at 6:00 pm
Please note: The auditorium will open approximately 30 minutes prior to the above screening start times. Please plan your arrival and departure times accordingly.
North Avenue Academic Center [NAAB]
Located at the corner of 1000 Morris Ave. and North Ave. in Union, NJ 07083.
Virtual Screening Note
Daruma is not available for virtual screening, as per the distribution company. Therefore, our closing night screening of Daruma with Dosh will only be available in person. We apologize for the inconvenience.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3 @ 10:00 AM
Join us for Okthanksbye and How to Build a Life.
How to Build a Life
Director: Matthew Reese
English | United Kingdom
10 min | Documentary
Louis, a young man with Asperger’s, talks candidly to his older brother about a decade-long struggle with bullying that nearly ended his life. He finds an outlet for his creativity and healing with Legos and his loyal dog. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/VrGTGd5-n0Q
Okthanksbye
Director: Nicole Van Kilsdonk
Dutch, Dutch Sign Language, French | Netherlands
92 min | Narrative
Classmates at a boarding school for the deaf, shy Jamie and bold Imane, set off on an unexpected road trip to Paris. When things do not go as planned, the trip takes an adventurous turn, and Jamie must come out of her shell. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/baYa-4EWKQI
THURSDAY, APRIL 3 @ 6:00 PM
Join us for Sexual Healing, My Eyes are Up Here and As You Are.
As You Are
Director: Daisy Friedman
English | United States
14 min | Narrative
When an interabled queer couple spend the night together for the first time, they must confront their complex relationships with desire, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and what it means truly to love another person. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/uGsncNISwwg
My Eyes Are Up Here
Director: Nathan Morris
English | United Kingdom
13 min | Narrative
A broken condom sends a woman, and her one-night stand out for the morning-after pill. Except it’s not so simple: she’s disabled, a woman of color, and around her, people are jerks. An eye-opening odyssey for him, just another day for her. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/UEPOO0ZJsJs
Sexual Healing
Director: Elsbeth Fraanje
Dutch | Netherlands
55 min | Documentary
Evelien, a 53-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, sets out on a disarming and often funny quest for intimacy and exploration of her sexuality, unearthing needs she has been suppressing her entire life. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/2CQ2tw1oirI
FRIDAY, APRIL 4 @ 6:00 PM
Join us for La Lucha and Working Differently.
Working Differently
Director: Hannah Currie
English | United Kingdom
24 min | Documentary
A series of interviews with crew and established industry figures shows why accessibility and inclusion should become an industry standard in film and television. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/LDJGZvouEhk
La Lucha
Director: Violeta Ayala
Spanish | Bolivia, United States, Australia
93 min | Documentary
Four disability rights advocates gather and motivate hundreds during a 35-day, 250-mile journey across the Andes. Confronting barricades, riot police and hostility from fellow citizens, these activists persist and ultimately arrive in La Paz, Bolivia, rewriting national history. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/aSmPUt_jRtE
SATURDAY, APRIL 5 @ 2:00 PM
Join us for Good Bad Things and Sea Legs.
Sea Legs
Director: Sam Dijkstra
Dutch | Netherlands
8 min | Narrative
When Marius meets his girlfriend’s friends, he tries to hide his insecurities, but when the whole group decides to go swimming, he faces a difficult choice. Will he swim or stay on the beach and hide?
Good Bad Things
Director: Shane D. Stanger
English | United States
96 min | Narrative
Danny, a young man with muscular dystrophy, steps out of his comfort zone and into the world of online dating. An unexpected match with Madi, an enigmatic photographer, challenges him to be vulnerable and sparks a profound journey of self-acceptance. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/WZ90D3lvLZM
SATURDAY, APRIL 5 @ 6:00 PM
Join us for Daruma and Dosh.
Dosh
Director: Radha Mehta
English, Hindi | United States
16 min | Narrative
When her son’s life is put at risk at their family’s pre-wedding ritual, a mother with hearing loss must decide how to seek help for her husband to keep her family safe. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/bpLpkruwlDc
Daruma
Director: Alexander Yellen
English | United States
104 min | Narrative
When day-drinking, unemployed paraplegic Patrick finds out he is the father of a 4-year-old girl he never knew existed, he enlists the help of his double amputee veteran neighbor Robert to drive him and his newfound daughter across the country to live with her maternal grandparents. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/ODy71dV6qXk
Thank you to our supporters!
ReelAbilities New Jersey is led by Montclair State University and generously supported by the Kessler Foundation. The ReelAbilities at Kean University film festival and related programs are hosted by Kean Stage and supported by campus and community partners.
ReelAbilities New Jersey
ReelAbilities authentically showcases disability experiences and talent both on screen and behind the camera through award-winning short and feature-length films. Each screening at Kean University includes disability-led discussions that foster community dialogue, challenge stereotypes and promote access — fulfilling ReelAbilities’s mission of reframing disability through powerful storytelling.
The hybrid ReelAbilities Film Festival at Kean University runs from Thursday, April 3, to Saturday, April 5, 2025, with options to attend in person at Kean’s Union campus or stream virtually from home.
- Screening 1: Thursday, April 3, at 10:00 am
- Screening 2: Thursday, April 3, at 6:00 pm
- Screening 3: Friday, April 4, at 6:00 pm
- Screening 4: Saturday, April 5, at 2:00 pm
- Screening 5: Saturday, April 5, at 6:00 pm
Please note: The auditorium will open approximately 30 minutes prior to the above screening start times. Please plan your arrival and departure times accordingly.
North Avenue Academic Center [NAAB]
Located at the corner of 1000 Morris Ave. and North Ave. in Union, NJ 07083.
Virtual Screening Note
Daruma is not available for virtual screening, as per the distribution company. Therefore, our closing night screening of Daruma with Dosh will only be available in person. We apologize for the inconvenience.
THURSDAY, APRIL 3 @ 10:00 AM
Join us for Okthanksbye and How to Build a Life.
How to Build a Life
Director: Matthew Reese
English | United Kingdom
10 min | Documentary
Louis, a young man with Asperger’s, talks candidly to his older brother about a decade-long struggle with bullying that nearly ended his life. He finds an outlet for his creativity and healing with Legos and his loyal dog. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/VrGTGd5-n0Q
Okthanksbye
Director: Nicole Van Kilsdonk
Dutch, Dutch Sign Language, French | Netherlands
92 min | Narrative
Classmates at a boarding school for the deaf, shy Jamie and bold Imane, set off on an unexpected road trip to Paris. When things do not go as planned, the trip takes an adventurous turn, and Jamie must come out of her shell. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/baYa-4EWKQI
THURSDAY, APRIL 3 @ 6:00 PM
Join us for Sexual Healing, My Eyes are Up Here and As You Are.
As You Are
Director: Daisy Friedman
English | United States
14 min | Narrative
When an interabled queer couple spend the night together for the first time, they must confront their complex relationships with desire, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and what it means truly to love another person. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/uGsncNISwwg
My Eyes Are Up Here
Director: Nathan Morris
English | United Kingdom
13 min | Narrative
A broken condom sends a woman, and her one-night stand out for the morning-after pill. Except it’s not so simple: she’s disabled, a woman of color, and around her, people are jerks. An eye-opening odyssey for him, just another day for her. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/UEPOO0ZJsJs
Sexual Healing
Director: Elsbeth Fraanje
Dutch | Netherlands
55 min | Documentary
Evelien, a 53-year-old woman with cerebral palsy, sets out on a disarming and often funny quest for intimacy and exploration of her sexuality, unearthing needs she has been suppressing her entire life. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/2CQ2tw1oirI
FRIDAY, APRIL 4 @ 6:00 PM
Join us for La Lucha and Working Differently.
Working Differently
Director: Hannah Currie
English | United Kingdom
24 min | Documentary
A series of interviews with crew and established industry figures shows why accessibility and inclusion should become an industry standard in film and television. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/LDJGZvouEhk
La Lucha
Director: Violeta Ayala
Spanish | Bolivia, United States, Australia
93 min | Documentary
Four disability rights advocates gather and motivate hundreds during a 35-day, 250-mile journey across the Andes. Confronting barricades, riot police and hostility from fellow citizens, these activists persist and ultimately arrive in La Paz, Bolivia, rewriting national history. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/aSmPUt_jRtE
SATURDAY, APRIL 5 @ 2:00 PM
Join us for Good Bad Things and Sea Legs.
Sea Legs
Director: Sam Dijkstra
Dutch | Netherlands
8 min | Narrative
When Marius meets his girlfriend’s friends, he tries to hide his insecurities, but when the whole group decides to go swimming, he faces a difficult choice. Will he swim or stay on the beach and hide?
Good Bad Things
Director: Shane D. Stanger
English | United States
96 min | Narrative
Danny, a young man with muscular dystrophy, steps out of his comfort zone and into the world of online dating. An unexpected match with Madi, an enigmatic photographer, challenges him to be vulnerable and sparks a profound journey of self-acceptance. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/WZ90D3lvLZM
SATURDAY, APRIL 5 @ 6:00 PM
Join us for Daruma and Dosh.
Dosh
Director: Radha Mehta
English, Hindi | United States
16 min | Narrative
When her son’s life is put at risk at their family’s pre-wedding ritual, a mother with hearing loss must decide how to seek help for her husband to keep her family safe. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/bpLpkruwlDc
Daruma
Director: Alexander Yellen
English | United States
104 min | Narrative
When day-drinking, unemployed paraplegic Patrick finds out he is the father of a 4-year-old girl he never knew existed, he enlists the help of his double amputee veteran neighbor Robert to drive him and his newfound daughter across the country to live with her maternal grandparents. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/ODy71dV6qXk
Thank you to our supporters!
ReelAbilities New Jersey is led by Montclair State University and generously supported by the Kessler Foundation. The ReelAbilities at Kean University film festival and related programs are hosted by Kean Stage and supported by campus and community partners.
Venue
- North Ave Academic Building [NAAB]