Film Festival Comes to Children's Institute

Written By Allison Freeman

The Children’s Institute (TCI) has been selected as a host for the New Jersey ReelAbilities Film Festival and will show three films on Nov. 20, including one film created by a TCI student.

TCI is thrilled to be a host location for the seventh annual film New Jersey ReelAbilities Film Festival, said TCI Superintendent/Executive Director Bruce Ettinger, who credited Film School Director David DIianni for making this possible. The Children’s Institute, private schools for children on the autism spectrum and with related disabilities, has campuses for pre-school through ninth grade in Verona, and a high school and a young adult program in Livingston. In addition, TCI opened its Center for Independence, its adult program in Livingston in October, 2012.

DiIanni through TCI Film School Productions offers after-school and weekend programs and classes in video production, film and acting for the camera for special needs students through the TCI Film School. DiIanni contacted the film festival and offered to host the event because he said he felt it would educate the public about people with disabilities.

The Seventh Annual ReelAbilities: Disabilities Film Festival is the largest film festival in the country dedicated to promoting awareness of the life experiences of people with disabilities. For more information, visit www.reelabilities.com.

“The ReelAbilities Film Festival is a great initiative,” DiIanni said, adding he is proud that TCI can be one of the New Jersey host locations for the week-long event. TCI will host the event at the Eisenhower Conference Center in Livingston.

The short film “Gone,” by TCI student Vincent Lissandrello of Midland Park will be premiered at the festival. Vincent is a student in TCI’s young adult program. In addition, the festival will feature the film “A Life With Aspergers” an animated documentary exploring the challenges of growing up and living with Asperger’s Syndrome by Jaime Ekkins. The TCI venue will also show the 83-minute documentary “A Whole Lott More,” by Victor Buhler. The film tells the story of 1200 workers with developmental disabilities who work at Lott Industries, a car manufacturing company in Toledo, Ohio, threatened with closure with decline of the auto industry in neighboring Detroit.

Admission to the festival is free. Donations to TCI will be accepted.

For information: contact David DiIanni, Film School Director, The Children’s Institute (973) 509-3050 ext. 414 or ddiianni@tcischool.org.