Superfest Films on Alaska Airlines Flights

Nathan Burns — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 20:02:04 +0000

We’re excited to announce that select past Superfest films will be showcased onboard Alaska Airlines flights!

These films will be shown among films from a diverse range of film festivals on the west coast and Hawaii. The selections range from animation, to documentary style, to short films, and more.

Here are the past Superfest films that are being showcased:

Chief

This reverent ode to the service dog tells the story of German immigrant Sonja Ohldag, who is diagnosed with a seizure disorder after moving to the U.S. in 1999. Unable to afford a service animal from an organization, Sonja trains her dog herself and takes a chance on Chief, who is not your average service dog.

Gaslit

A young disabled woman fights to hold on to her identity in the face of the world’s assumptions, and strives for independence from her parents, who doubt her ability to become a mother.

Awake

Anna, a woman living with Multiple Sclerosis is visited by Doreen, a door-to-door proselytizer who makes herself at home and stays the day, slowly defrosting her non-welcome. Together they walk in the park, bake a chocolate cake, and watch an Ingmar Bergman film.

Inclinations

Choreographed, directed and shot from disability perspectives, this dance-on- video short contrasts the playful connections when disability aesthetics, community and a ramp meet the institutional histories and discordant inclinations that can lurk just below the surface.

Stinky Chicken Dog 2

New filmmaker Jenni Funk explores the complex and beautiful relationships between people with disabilities and their animals. She uses a speech generating device to interview a service dog owner and a companion pet owner and tell her own story of a tense relationship with her formerly abused and traumatized pet Chihuahua (the stinky chicken dog) who is frightened of her movements and her voice.

Invalid Corps

In July 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early launches a surprise raid that takes him to the very gates of Washington DC. The city is in panic. Almost every able-bodied soldier from the Union has already been sent south for the siege of Petersburg, more than 100 miles away. The only defenders remaining are clerks, government officials, and the Invalid Corps. Made up of men injured in battle or by disease, these "hopeless cripples" must hold out for a desperate 24 hours until Union General Grant can send reinforcements. With Lincoln himself on the ramparts, they cannot afford to fail.

The Gallery

At an audition, Maya becomes part of an absurd cycle, and loses track of who she's performing for and why. The Gallery is a narrative short that explores how some marginalized groups can be shut out of cultural institutions, and how they can feel pressured into perpetuating a system that doesn't appear to be working in their favor.

The Penguin Who Couldn't Swim

This animated short, made by a disabled animator, follows the story of a penguin who lives on a rocky island in the southern seas where she feels isolated from the rest of her colony..

Bastion

Just before closing time, a completely bald man walks into a barber shop. Reflections in the window and an irritating fringe have told him that it’s time for a haircut.

Gaelynn Lea: The Songs We Sing

Minnesota violinist and disability rights advocate Gaelynn Lea travels the upper Midwest on tour, experiencing the ups and downs of the road while hustling hard to make it as a performer and artist.

To learn more about the other festivals being included, visit: https://blog.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/2020-west-coast-film-festivals-alaska-entertainment/

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Superfest

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entertainment

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Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability - entertainment

Superfest Films on Alaska Airlines Flights