The Arc of York & Adams Counties is proud to host our first-ever Disability Film Festival on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM at Gateway Theater in Gettysburg. This inspiring and community-centered event will bring together individuals with disabilities, families, advocates, community leaders, and local businesses for an afternoon that celebrates storytelling, inclusion, and the power of film to break barriers
Presented by UPMC, the event will begin at 2:00 PM with a 30-minute social reception, offering attendees the opportunity to learn more about The Arc of York & Adams Counties. During this time, guests will enjoy complimentary refreshments while networking, connecting with community members, and engaging with organizations that support inclusion and advocacy efforts throughout York and Adams Counties.
At 2:30 PM, the film showcase will begin, featuring four short films related to disabilities. These carefully selected films will highlight diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and the strength and resilience of individuals with disabilities. The program will conclude by 3:30 PM.
The goals of the Disability Film Festival are to:
- Increase awareness and understanding of intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Promote inclusion and representation in media
- Foster meaningful community dialogue
- Celebrate the talents, stories, and contributions of individuals with disabilities
- Strengthen partnerships between nonprofit organizations, businesses, and the broader community
Films to be shown at the festival include:
Brooklyn Love Tales (12 1/2 minutes/ documentary)- A personal look into the lives of three couples with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Alan and Cathy met in 1985 over a “romantic Twinkie” in Flatbush , Brooklyn. After three years of dating they decided to tie the knot. Charles and Valerie met by chance in 2006 and three weeks later decided to get married. In 1965, at the age of 14, Marty and Arlene met- since then they’ve been inseparable.
Filters (9 1/2 minutes/ narrative)- Kira, a bright and stylish young women living with Down syndrome, compares herself to social media influencer, Chantal. Her life appears everything Kira’s isn’t. After Kira is met with discrimination by prospective employers while interviewing for jobs via Zoom, she is ill-advised by her support worker to change her online profile to get her foot in the door. When Kira goes against her gut and then gains success, this only feeds into her negative self-image. She reaches out to social media influencer Chantal, seeking advise on how to lose weight, however Kira kinds out that Chantal is not what she appears to be. With the realization that the beauty standards she has been trying to emulate are both unrealistic and damaging, Kira begins her journey of self-acceptance by revealing her true identity to her new employer.
Bubba Lou (14 minutes/ narrative)- A film about the people who get support and people who don’t. After the death of a close friend, a woman with Down syndrome goes looking for her brother. The condition she finds him in, and her attempt to help him, make her question what words like “home” and “care” really mean.
What Was It Like? (15 minutes/ documentary)- Eight adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities interview their parents about what it was like when they were children, specifically their parent’s experiences within the medical and educational systems. The documentary reveals issues of prejudice and injustice within two systems we should be able to rely on and trust the most. As well as this, it showcases the unconditional and powerful love between the interviewees and their parents.
For more information, or to purchase tickets to The Arc of York & Adams Counties’ Film Festival, visit here.
