Editor

One in four Americans has a disability, making it today’s largest minority population, yet far too often their important and varied stories go untold.

Supported by some of Hollywood’s biggest names, the 2021 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge: Home Edition 2.0! is a weekend-long film making contest that addresses this under-representation by giving filmmakers — with and without disabilities — the platform to creatively produce a short film. Since its inception, the EDFC has curated hundreds of films and saw participants land roles in studio films as well as network television shows such as The Good Doctor, New Amsterdam, Superstore, and Station 19.

Participation in the challenge also provides the opportunity to win amazing prizes including:

• $1,500 grants provided by NBCUniversal
• Dell Technologies Laptop
• One-year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud – the entire collection of 20+ creative desktop and mobile apps including Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop
• One-year membership to IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, including the IMDbPro Discover tool, which empowers members to find people based on a variety of key IMDb data, experience and expertise
• The winning films will be highlighted in a video playlist on the homepage of IMDb, the world’s most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows and celebrities
• Screenings at numerous Academy Award-Qualifying festivals, including the Heartland Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival, Bentonville Film Festival and NewFilmmakers LA
• One year membership to Film Independent
• Mentorship meetings with entertainment industry executives and talent

REGISTER TODAY for the new competition, March 16-21. Entry deadline: March 15, 2021. Films are not required to include disability in the storyline, but must include at least one person with a disability in front of or behind the camera. Films are judged by a notable and diverse group of entertainment industry talent. RULES: www.DisabilityFilmChallenge.com

Key Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Dates:

• 2021 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge – March 16th- March 21st, 2021
• Awareness Campaign – March 27th - April 5th, 2021
• Finalists Announced – April 29th, 2021
• Virtual Award Ceremony – Thursday, May 6th, 2021

Together we can change the way the world defines and views disability.