Here are stories about: 'Announcements' ↓

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Robin Metalitz, Outreach Coordinator, KRCB, (707) 584-2005

KRCB ANNOUNCES “THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE FESTIVAL,”
HIGHLIGHTING LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH MOBILITY DISABILITIES

KRCB is working with the diverse community of wheelchair users here in the Bay Area,  including Culture! Disability! Talent!, Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (B.O.R.P.), Through the Looking Glass, and the AXIS Dance Company, along with the Oakland Library System, the Berkeley Library, the Sonoma County Libraries and the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, to host “The Best Seat in the House Festival” and creatively use film, television, radio, and the Internet to challenge stereotypes, promote dialogue, and envision a universally accessible future.

The festival will take place during the first two weeks in April, and will include:

Broadcast of the film “Rolling” on KRCB Television 22 on Tuesday, April 1 at 9:00 pm.

Local profiles highlighting several Bay Area individuals who use wheelchairs – people that you might not immediately think of when you imagine wheelchair users.  These profiles will air throughout the day on KRCB, starting in late March, and will be available as streaming video at krcb.org and BestSeatFest.org

A neighborhood film festival in various locations in the North and East Bay.

Saturday, April 5 at 2 pm at the Santa Rosa Central Library: “Rolling”
Sunday, April 6 at 2 pm at the Berkeley Library: “Kiss My Wheels”
Monday, April 7 at the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael: “Darius Goes West” (4 pm) and “Abnormally Funny People” (6:30 pm)
Tuesday, April 8 at 6:30 pm at the Petaluma Regional Library: “Kiss My Wheels”
Wednesday, April 9 at 6:30 pm at the Santa Rosa Central Library: “Darius Goes West”
Saturday, April 12 at the Oakland Rockridge Library:  “The Empowered Fe Fes” (11 am) and “Rolling” (1:30 pm)

The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion and an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.  Panelists will include local people with mobility disabilities, as well as their friends and family.  The opening panel on April 5 will include Galen Buckwalter who is featured in “Rolling.”

There is no charge to attend any of the screenings. 

Anyone who has ever been curious or wanted to learn more about the lives of people with disabilities is encouraged to attend and ask questions.  As of press time, film selection and panel composition is still being finalized, so go to www.krcb.org or www.BestSeatFest.org for more information.  Questions can be directed to KRCB Outreach Coordinator Robin Metalitz, at 707-584-2005.

Galen Buckwalter was a 16-year-old athlete when he hit his head diving into a lake.  Vicki Elman was married and working when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  Ernie Wallengren, a writer, husband, and father, was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 48.  Explore both the freedoms and obstacles they face as Americans with mobility disabilities in the award-winning film, ROLLING, the highlight of KRCB’s upcoming “Best Seat in the House Festival.”

Working with the diverse community of wheelchair users right here in the Bay Area, where the original independent living movement began only 3 decades ago, the festival will creatively use film, television, radio, and the Internet to challenge stereotypes, promote dialog, and envision a universally accessible future. The festival will take place during the first two weeks in April, and will include:

• Television Film Series, with ROLLING premiering on KRCB on Tuesday, April 1 at 9:00 pm.
• A Film Festival presented in partnership with local public libraries and disability advocacy organizations from the North and East Bay areas.  The Festival will travel to various locations between April 5 and 12, providing the local community with innovative films and open-minded dialog.
• Local Profiles highlighting several Bay Area individuals who use wheelchairs… people that you may not immediately think of when you imagine wheelchair users.
• Interactive web site, featuring streaming audio, video, and an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from the local community of individuals in wheelchairs.

We will be providing up-to-date information at www.krcb.org and in next month’s Open Air.  To get learn more or get involved, please contact our Outreach Coordinator, Robin Metalitz, at 707-584-2005 or visit www.BestSeatFest.org.

The first-ever “Best Seat in the House” festival, showcasing the best films, videos, and audio programs that reflect the true experiences of today’s wheelchair user, is closing it’s call for new entries on Monday, January 21, as scheduled.

Due to the holiday, however, all entries may now be received by KRCB by 5:00 p.m. PST on Tuesday, January 22.

You may review the entry checklist if you have any questions about the entry process, or you may contact the organizers at BestSeatFest.org, where you’ll also find an entry form.

Good luck!

To spark dialogue, engage viewers, and increase public awareness of ROLLING and the rights of people with disabilities, Thirteen/WNET announced community outreach grants to public television stations across the country last fall. Five stations, including KRCB Public Television, were awarded grants of $4,000.00 to create community events and awareness campaigns centered on the film and local resources.

In January, 2008, producers David and Susan Levitt Waxman will begin taping people in wheelchairs discussing their lives for 30-second spots to air on KRCB television and radio, leading up to ROLLING’s broadcast in April.

In April, 2008, ROLLING will anchor the first Best Seat in the House Festival, coming to KRCB Public Television, Radio, www.BestSeatFest.org, and to various venues throughout the San Francisco Bay.

The public will be encouraged to submit stories, thoughts, photos, video, or questions to a website discussion board, moderated by the people who participated in the television and radio spots, as well as the filmmakers.

More information will be made available at www.BestSeatFest.org as it becomes available.

Download more information about Rolling.