Shameless: The ART of Disability
Encyclopedia
Shameless: The ART of Disability is a documentary film by Bonnie Sherr Klein
about persons with disabilities. Produced in 2006 by the National Film Board of Canada
, it is Klein's first film since a catastrophic stroke in 1987 left her a quadriplegic. The film explores disability culture and the transformational power art has for persons with disabilities.
Klein is featured in the film, along with fellow artists with disabilities Catherine Frazee
, a poet and writer; humourist David Roche; dancer and choreographer Geoff McMurchy; and writer and artist Persimmon Blackbridge. Vancouver musician Veda Hille
contributed music for the film.
Klein gathers these artists for a pyjama party where they explore Hollywood stereotypes of people with disabilities. The artists decide to meet a year later at Vancouver
's Kickstart Festival with the intent of creating their own images of disability.
The film is set mainly in British Columbia
, in Vancouver, Roberts Creek and Hornby Island
, with brief sequences in San Francisco and Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley
.
Bonnie Sherr Klein
Bonnie Sherr Klein is a feminist filmmaker, author, and disability rights activist.-Film-making career:Klein worked for the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal as a director and producer in the late 1960s. Between that time and the late 1980s, she made dozens of films there...
about persons with disabilities. Produced in 2006 by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, it is Klein's first film since a catastrophic stroke in 1987 left her a quadriplegic. The film explores disability culture and the transformational power art has for persons with disabilities.
Klein is featured in the film, along with fellow artists with disabilities Catherine Frazee
Catherine Frazee
Catherine Frazee is a Canadian educator, activist, researcher, poet and writer who currently serves as a Professor of Distinction in the Disability Studies program at Ryerson University as well as a Co-director of Ryerson University's Institute for Disability Studies Research and Education...
, a poet and writer; humourist David Roche; dancer and choreographer Geoff McMurchy; and writer and artist Persimmon Blackbridge. Vancouver musician Veda Hille
Veda Hille
Veda Hille is a Canadian singer-songwriter.- Biography :Veda Hille was born in 1968 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She started playing piano when she was 6 at her own insistence. Her family moved around a lot, from the city to the country and back again...
contributed music for the film.
Klein gathers these artists for a pyjama party where they explore Hollywood stereotypes of people with disabilities. The artists decide to meet a year later at Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
's Kickstart Festival with the intent of creating their own images of disability.
The film is set mainly in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, in Vancouver, Roberts Creek and Hornby Island
Hornby Island
Hornby Island of British Columbia, Canada, is a Northern Gulf Island parallel with Vancouver Island's Comox Valley.A small community of 1,074 residents is distributed across the island. The island is culturally distinctive as it was the site of a large immigration of American draft dodgers during...
, with brief sequences in San Francisco and Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley
Annapolis Valley
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...
.