Reel Abilities Chicago Disabilities Film Festival Brings "Snow Cake" To The Lake Theatre April 25, 2012

Oak Park, IL – The Lake Theatre, located at 1022 Lake Street, will be kicking off the first film as part of the Reel Abilities Chicago Disabilities Film Festival with the showing of the drama “Snow Cake.” This screening is slated for April 25th at 7:00PM. Movie tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for seniors and students and are available for purchase online through Eventbrite. The film festival is scheduled for April 25th through April 29th.
Four Community agencies serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Oak Park, River Forest, and the greater Chicagoland area – including Aspire, Community Support Services, Oak Leyden Developmental Services, and Seguin Services – have joined forces to conduct the first annual Reel Abilities Chicago Disabilities Film Festival. Initiated in New York in 2007, the mission of the film festival is to educate the community on developmental disabilities and reduce stigma associated with these disabilities. The festival also seeks to promote inclusion of individuals with developmental and other disabilities in the community through activities conducted as part of the event, as well as in the core messages associated with the festival. Award-winning films, accompanied by discussions and other engaging programs, will bring together the community to explore, discuss, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience.

“Snow Cake,” starring Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and Carrie-Ann Moss, is a drama about the struggles associated with autism. The film starts off with Alex, an ex-convict on a road trip to see an old friend, who picks up Vivienne, an eccentric hitchhiker. A serious car accident kills Vivienne, prompting Alex to visit Vivienne’s mother, a woman with high-functioning autism. Alex learns about her uniqueness as he struggles to come to terms with his own grief.

Panel discussions with experts in disabilities and the arts will be offered after each film showing. For more information about the Reel Abilities Chicago Disabilities Film Festival, please visit chicago.reelabilities.org.