Huntington Kids Featured in 48-Hour Disability Film Challenge

April 24, 2015 4:29 pm | Filed under: Arts & Entertainment,News | Posted by: TheHuntingtonian

Ah, Hollywood– The land of perfect people and irresistible images. The entertainment industry is known to set examples of people with perfect skin, perfect teeth and perfect bodies. It is often criticized for the unrealistic editing of pictures to make celebrities look “better” than they already do, and being a poor example for children. This is especially the case for those that want to actually become a part of show business in any way, shape or form.

When an individual doesn’t fit the mold of Hollywood has set forth, they are often dejected and discouraged, choosing to set their journey on another path. What is a person to do if faced with a disability, and wants to get into such a judgmental and discerning field?

Enter disabled actor and producer Nic Novicki (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire), who is determined to make a change in the entertainment industry for disabled people. Novicki is the founder of the 48-Hour Disability Film Challenge, which was created in order to “empower disabled filmmakers, by taking their careers into their own hands with the support of seasoned veterans.” This is the second year for this unique competition.

In order to compete in this challenge, a production team needed to be assembled. A list of requirements were sent out in the afternoon of Friday, April 17. Teams had to write, cast, direct, edit and produce a three to five minute film based on those requirements, and submit no more than 48 hours later on April 19. Of course, this is the Disability Film Challenge, so it was encouraged that a person with disabilities be involved in a prominent capacity within the challenge.

Huntington’s own 9-year old sweetheart, Lilianna LaVertu, was a part of this amazing challenge with 42 other people. Their short film, Unspoken, focuses on a young boy (Isaac Galizio) trying to capture the attention of his first crush (LaVertu), only to find out that she has a disability. Lilianna, who has been deaf since the age of two, stars in this short film, simply to highlight that people that have disabilities really aren’t all that different from those who don’t.

Candice Cain, owner of Cain Casting & Talent Management in Brookhaven, knew immediately that she wanted to focus their team’s film around Lilianna. “After watching the entries from last year, I wanted to do something different,” Cain explained. “There weren’t any films starring children, and most were films about disabilities. I wanted a story about a person, not just about their disability.”

Several Huntington residents were included in the making of this film, creating the team known as 10,000 Cainiacs: Lilianna LaVertu appears with her mother Jennifer, brother Liam and sister Vivienne; Jackie Oltedal and her son Mikal were intricate in creating the script and appeared as background; And the entire Kraese family (Phil, Mary Beth, Mason, Gunnar and Colton) gave their input to creating the script, worked on the crew and even appeared on camera.

Unspoken will be screened at the Bellport Community Center on May 16, 2015. Please call 914.861.5437 for more information. To find out who won the 2015 48 Hour Disability Film Challenge, visit www.disabilityfilmchallenge.com after May 11.

For more information, check out the following links.

http://facebook.com/disabilityfilmchallenge
https://twitter.com/disabilitychall ( please hashtag #disabilityfilmchallenge and #thepowertodomore )
http://www.disabilityfilmchallenge.com
http://www.youtube.com/c/TheDisabilityFilmChallenge

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Huntington Kids Featured in 48-Hour Disability Film Challenge

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