Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
[steady guitar music]
>>My name's Josh Tate.
I come from an extended family of Disability Rights Activists.
I've always loved movies, and I've known for some time that if I ever got a chance
to make one of my own, I'd want that movie to be about Disability Rights.
[music continued]
But when I sat down to write a script, I realized that the knowledge that I had really only
skimmed the surface.
So, I teamed up with the most talented filmmakers I knew and set out to learn more.
>>We read every book that we could, and we traveled around the nation to meet the people who wrote them.
>>We sat with disability scholars from Columbia, Stony Brook, NYU...
>>We spoke with people who know firsthand that when they're fighting for their rights,
they're really fighting for their lives.
>>There are people living in America today that are separated from real community.
>>In institutions.
>>In nursing homes.
>>Even in their homes.
>>Millions of Americans fight for inclusion everyday.
>>In their communities.
>>In commerce.
>>In culture.
>>That's why we're making LOVE LAND.
[pause]
LOVE LAND is a feature film that we hope will jumpstart real conversations that might just lead
to real change.
>>LOVE LAND follows Ivy, a young woman with an intellectual disability, who lives in a
small town.
>>Like most people in town, Ivy pities the people who live at the local institution for
those with developmental disabilities: "Love Land".
>>When Ivy gets into trouble and ends up getting placed there, she'll stop at nothing to
prove to herself and to the world that she doesn't belong there.
>>As a result, she comes to wonder if she belongs anywhere at all.
>>I think that's something that everyone can relate to.
Feeling like you're different. Feeling like you're trying to put on a show to be something
that other people see you as.
>>LOVE LAND gets inside Ivy's head and leads you through her emotional journey as a peer
rather than as a superior.
She's not a cute or charming stereotype. She's capable. She can be dangerous. She's
risky. She's real.
>>What most draws me to Ivy is that she's similar to me. She's similar a lot of people
that I know.
>>LOVE LAND shows people with intellectual disabilities as complex and conflicted human
beings.
>>Capable of the good, the evil, and the grey.
>>They can be manipulative. They can be, uh, mean...and, of course, they can be, like,
lovely people, and they can be compassionate and caring...
>>With far reaching desires, profound goals...just real people.
We're reaching out first to professional actors with the actual disabilities portrayed
by the characters in this film.
>>We're spreading our casting net far and wide to try to find phenomenal actors who,
because of their labels, don't generally get these kinds of opportunities.
>>But, it's not for their benefit.
>>It's not for their benefit.
>>It's not for their benefit. It's to make our film real.
>>And authentic. And exciting.
[slow piano chords]
>>I don't think anybody in our crew has any kind of perception that we're speaking
for this group.
>>I'm learning in the process of this.
>>I know I've learned a lot about this and I have a lot to learn, as well.
>>We're putting together a network of activists, disability scholars, self advocates, and service
providers to ensure the authenticity of the story.
>>We are trying to make a good movie about complex and conflicted characters, and...
...at the end of the day, I think that's all we can ever achieve.
>>We're out here trying to make a difference in the world through our media and through
our work in art.
>>It has humor, it has sadness, it's informative, it's evocative,
And all these things exist in LOVE LAND in the first couple minutes.
[pause]
We're ready to get to work, but first we need your support.
>>We have people to feed, gear to rent, crews to hire, sets to build...
>>Please consider donating.
[pause]
>>LOVE LAND is about the tragedy of forced segregation.
>>But it's also about hope.
>>For a future defined by choice.
>>And interdependence.
>>LOVE LAND is about you and me leading full lives and reaching our full potential.
>>It's about jumpstarting a conversation in America.
>>It's about civil rights.
>>No pity.
[music builds]
>>No innocent angels.
>>No evil gimps.
>>No helpless Tiny Tims.
>>Just morally complex, empowered people.
>>Deep people.
>>With the capacity for real change.
>>LOVE LAND isn't just a movie.
>>It's part of a movement.
>>Our Movement.
>>Our Movement.
>>Our Movement.
>>So don't give out of pity.
>>Give for a movement.
>>Give for your community.
>>Give for the inclusive world that you want your kids to live in.
>>Thanks for watching.
[music fades out]