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Community Corner

3rd Annual ReelAbilities: Greater DC Disabilities Film Festival - Opening Night!

The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia (JCCNV) is excited to
present the 3rd Annual ReelAbilities: Greater DC Disabilities Film
Festival! ReelAbilities is dedicated to promoting awareness and
appreciation of, the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people
with different abilities. This unique festival presents award-winning
films in locations throughout the Greater DC area. The screenings are
accompanied by discussions and other engaging programs that bring
together the community to explore, discuss and celebrate the diversity
of our shared human experience.

ASL interpretation, CART, Audio
Description, and information in Braille are available upon advance
request. Individuals needing accommodations should contact
Jessica.Tischler@jccnv.org, (703) 537-3031 by January 27.

All films are captioned or subtitled and all venues are wheelchair accessible.

Come As You Are
115 minutes | Belgium | Dutch, French, Spanish with English Subtitles
Thursday, Feb. 6 | Spectrum Theatre | 7PM
This screening is presented by Chimes

Mature content. Recommended for adults.
On
a quest to lose their virginity, three young men with disabilities
embark on a wild road trip. Enjoying the finer things in life (like wine
and song), these friends believe the only thing missing is the touch of
a women. Isolated by their disabilities and cared for by their parents,
they convince their families they need to go to Spain on a “wine tour”
but this is a cover for their true destination — a Spanish brothel that
caters to men with disabilities. 

Opening Night Speaker
Asta
Philpot, Executive Producer of Come As You Are (AKA Hasta La Vista) was
born with a condition known as arthrogryposis which means joint
contractures that develop before birth and are evident at birth.

Asta
says that waking up every day has been a bonus since his birth. He
never complains and his favorite saying is he loves life. Asta acts,
sings, and is an ardent campaigner on behalf of all disabled people. He
is not scared of saying exactly what he thinks when he is invited to
debate a variety of issues on radio.

Based on Asta's story, Come As You Are
has won numerous awards, has been distributed in over 30 countries
worldwide, and the director has been named one of the top 10 directors
in Europe!

Get tickets here

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