By Andy Furman
Point/Arc
It seemed like the perfect place to film a movie – for Katie Scarlett and Becca Schall.
The Point Perk (43. W. Pike Street) – one of four enterprises owned and operated by the 53-year-old nonprofit Point/Arc — was the backdrop for a film. The perfect film for the organization that has a mission to help people with disabilities achieve their highest potential educationally, socially, residentially and vocationally.
Scarlett and Schall filmed – and recently entered – their film, in the nationwide Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
“It’s an opportunity to collaborate to tell unique stories that showcase disability in its many forms,” Scarlett said.
The film challenge is a five-day filmmaking contest, open to all, that provides a platform for new voices in the entertainment industry. Each year, aspiring storytellers are prompted to creatively write, produce and complete a short film.
So why Point-Perk?
“We just stumbled on The Perk,” Scarlett, said. “We were looking for a Coffee Shop scene; we googled for one in Covington and found The Perk. It is the perfect match.
“After we had written our script,” she continued, “We realized we needed a coffee shop as one of our locations. In my search for accessible coffee shops, I came across The Point-Perk, and the wonderful Point/Arc organization.
“The values and mission behind the Point/Arc are everything that Becca and I align with. We were given access to this excellent location and contact information for some Point-Perk employees. This gave us the ability to not only highlight more talented people in the disability community but a wider array of disabilities both physical and intellectual.”
This year, the group of producers, actors, directors, and staff had the ability to showcase artists with disabilities ranging from chronic illness, people with limb differences, deaf – hard-of-hearing, blind/low vision, wheelchair users and several I/DD individuals.
“Our entire cast has some individual with a disability,” Scarlett said.
Becca and Katie have formed a Cincinnati-based production team. The former, a graduate of the College of William and Mary with a degree in film studies – she is the associate casting director with Lynn Meyers Casting, which does the local casting for the feature films that come through town.
Scarlett graduated Indiana University with a degree in Théâtre. She has been acting for over 15 years. Her credits range across theatre, commercial, and film.
The contest required one team member be disabled. – enter Becca.
“I’m wheelchair bound,” she said, “I’ve had leg weakness 10 years ago and have been using a wheelchair the past four years.”
That hasn’t stopped this dynamic duo producing “Forced Perspective” as this year’s entry.
The Awareness Campaign offers multiple categories in which you can win: Best Film, Best Director, Best Editor, Best Actor, Best Writer, and the Awareness Campaign Award. There is a monetary prize for each category winner.
Views, likes, shares, and comments on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook in addition to press mentions and an additional category for “other” will be counted in the judging.
Forced Perspective – this year’s entry submitted by Scarlett and Schall — focuses on some strange events that begin to affect the life of a senator when she hesitates to address the concerns of the disability community.
“We were drawn to this contest initially because it is rare to come across opportunities for disabled artists in film. Film sets in general are not accessible for disabled cast or crew and there are not many roles written for disabled performers,” Scarlett said.
“It is also common in Hollywood that when there are disabled roles written, they are sometimes performed by able-bodied actors instead of someone who is disabled.
“The conversations around this have started to shift in the last few years which is why contests like this are important, they amplify the voices and stories of disabled artists. Representation in art is so important, both for the individuals being represented and to increase widespread diversity and awareness. This contest gives us opportunities to showcase the incredible talent in the disability community that often doesn’t get the chance to shine.”
The campaign closes on the 21st of this month – and winners will be announced sometime after that date.