Looking Upwards' Friday Film Fest Puts Compassion In Focus for Disability Awareness Week

Looking Upwards will showcase its first filmmaking endeavor, "Compassion," a four-minute short film featuring Looking Upwards' participants, as well as a series of short films centered around the same theme, on Friday night at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport.

The event takes place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday night. Tickets are $10. Proceeds from the screening will benefit a non-profit Middletown-based organization that provides support services for persons with disabilities from throughout Aquidneck Island and Newport County.

With filmmakers from all over New England contributing, as well as from New York and other states, the event marks Looking Upwards' first sponsored film festival and its first film project. The Friday night short film festival will also serve to launch a series of week-long events to raise awareness for Disability Awareness Week.

Looking Upwards' four-minute film, "Compassion," was the result of a project organized by a group of people with and without disabilities in collaboration with Video & Vision of Newport, according to Michele Banks, the administrator of Day Services at Looking Upwards.

It is based on a poem by Leah Kieth, who receives support services from Looking Upwards. The film features Kieth, along with William Buckley, Michael Collins, Carl Hendrickson and Joseph Gobble, who all receive support services, Banks said.

"This is the first year we've done this. We really wanted to extend the opportunity for people to learn about compassion," Banks said. "We selected nine short flms ... It’s really a nice collection on films about compassion."

The Friday night film festival at the Jane Pickens also will include an art show and sale featuring the artists from the Looking Upwards Day Program.

Banks said 87 pieces of art also centered around the theme of "compassion" will be on display Friday night. In the coming weeks and months, the same installation will be on display as part of a traveling art show at locations that inspired the collection, such as soup kitchens and shelters, Banks said.

Additional works of art will be on sale Friday night at the festival in the Art-O-Mat Vending Machine at $5 each, Banks said.

Working in conjunction with the Newport Accessibility Advisory Committee and Salve Regina University, the partners selected "Disability, Accessibility and Possibilities" as the theme for Disability Awareness Week, which runs April 8-15 with events to take place in Middletown and Newport.

"The reason this all came together is because we wanted to build on disability awareness day," Banks said.

The week-long program will feature sports, music, poetry, film and more, according to the Looking Upwards press release posted on its website. Most of the activities offered have been created through partnerships among people with and without disabilities. The collaboration also includes Salve Regina University and The Newport Accessibility Advisory Committee, according to the website.

Tickets for the Compassion Film Festival are $10 and may be purchased at the door. For advance tickets or more information, call Looking Upwards at 401-847-0960, ext. 26, or 401-862-0403.

• Looking Upwards’ Compassion Film Festival
  Friday, April 8, Jane Pickens Theater, 6-7:30 p.m., $10
  As the world is facing tremendous challenges, what might a little compassion mean to you and those around you? This festival of short  films was organized by a group of people with and without disabilities in collaboration with Video & Vision of Newport. The group is also screening their own film at this event.
• Live concert by The Berkshire Hills Music Academy Troupe 
  Sunday, April 10, Salve Regina University, Ochre Court, 2-4 p.m., $8
  Playing jazz, rock classical and more, this troupe of musicians with disabilities has been inspiring audiences nationwide. Also featured will be  local pianist, Michael Collins, a BHMA alumnus. 
• Film Screening of “Including Samuel”
  Tuesday, April 12, Salve Regina University - O’Hare 260, 6-7:30 p.m., Free Produced by the father of a child with a disability, this award-winning documentary shares a father’s experiences as he works to include his son Samuel into the daily life of his community. The film inspired the nationwide “I Am Norm” campaign and is presented by Salve student chapter CEC.
• New England Paralyzed Veterans of America ~ Wheelchair Basketball
  Wednesday, April 13, , 6-8:30 p.m., $3/$10 families Five brave local players will face off against the New England Paralyzed Veterans of America - Celtics wheelchair basketball team. The NEPVA will bring 5 extra wheelchairs for the opposing team! This event is produced by Best Buddies of both and of Middletown High School.  
• Barrier Awareness Day
  Thursday, April 14, International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Free
  Persons with disabilities encounter many barriers when touring or trying to do business around the island, yet it is difficult for persons without disabilities to perceive these barriers and their effects. This event will allow participants to take a tour, either by wheelchair, blindfolded or silent, to experience barriers from a new point of view. 
• Poetry Reading
  Thursday, April 14, Salve Regina University - Bazarsky Auditorium in O’Hare Academic Center 6-8 p.m., Free
  The participants at Learning Unlimited at Salve Regina University and the Ocean State Poets will present a selection of poems from their chapbook Butterfly Wings, a project funded by The John E. Fogarty Foundation. Learning Unlimited is an educational program through which Salve Regina students support and learn from people who have developmental disabilities.  
• Grand Opening of Downtown Designs
  April 15, at 57 Broadway across from City Hall, 4-6 p.m.
  Join us for the opening reception of this gallery featuring artwork, jewelry and a special line of art from re-purposed materials created by artists with disabilities. Also showcased will be the work of guest artists from the community. Plus: 6-9 p.m. Lois Vaughn and Public Gallery at Portofino’s, 425 East Main Road -  Enjoy dinner amidst a gallery of art by artisans with and without disabilities while listening to jazz piano selections by Lois Vaughn. For more information, visit the Looking Upwards website or see their Facebook page.