CINCINNATI (For Immediate Release) – Formerly, the ReelAbilities Film Festival, the 2018 Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival organized by LADD, a local non-profit that supports adults with disabilities, will debut September 26-30 and present stories that celebrate the human spirit. Cincinnati’s historic neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine, will host the film screenings at Washington Park, Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Woodward Theatre, Mini Microcinema and Music Hall. The newly-named festival will showcase five tracks: freedom, diversity, identity, disability, and faith. Nearly 65 short and feature films have been selected by the jury.

Festival screening highlights include: “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” community screening of Disney’s “Christopher Robin,” free screening of “Queen of Katwe,” the Midwest Premieres of “Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun Show,” “Take a Look at This Heart” and “Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story” as well as the Cincinnati Exclusive Screening of “Two Beats, One Soul, and the Cincinnati Premiere of “United Skates.”

Some 20 Hollywood celebrities, including Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee, Virginia Madsen, Zach Anner of ABC’s “Speechless,” Merle Dandridge star of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s “Greenleaf,” Obba Babbatunde of CBS’s “S.W.A.T.;” Drew Lachey, Member of “98 Degrees” band, and Tanika Ray, Co-Host of “EXTRA,” will travel to Cincinnati to participate in exclusive screenings, panel discussions and events.

The curatorial team for the 2018 Festival includes: TT Stern-Enzi, a local film critic for CityBeat and FOX 19 and serves as lead curator for the film festival and educator in several schools and venues in Cincinnati; Adam Piron, a programmer for Sundance Film Festival shorts; and Opal Bennet, who programs for the Nantucket Film Festival, NY Doc, Tribeca Film Festival and Sundance London.

“We are structuring the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival with the key elements necessary to become a major destination film festival,” said Jack Geiger, managing director of the Festival. “We focus on stories that celebrate the human spirit, our shared humanity and our desire for a more meaningful way to connect. We are also excited that this film festival can be an impactful part of the many efforts that are building a welcoming and diverse community in Cincinnati and throughout the region.”

The 2018 Festival is chaired by Kitty Rosenthal, Arlene Koth, Jon Sanchez and Scott Van Nice, Kim Vincent and Jenny McCloy are also returning from chairing the film festival in 2017 as Chairs Emeritus. The 2018 Honorary Chairs include: Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Cincinnati Reds’ Teddy Kremer.

Festival Event Schedule

Visit OTRFilmFest.org for the full schedule of events and screenings.

Wednesday, September 26

• 12 p.m., Opening Kick-Off Luncheon at Duke Energy Center, downtown
• 6 p.m., “Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Mayerson Theater
• 7 p.m., Innocence Project (In collaboration with UC and Cincinnati Opera) featuring Blind Injustice by the Cincinnati Opera and screening of “Conviction: The True Story of Clarence Elkins,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater
• 7 p.m., “Disney’s Christopher Robin,” Free Community Movie at Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine

Thursday, September 27

• 8 a.m., Interfaith Breakfast at Cintas Center on the Campus of Xavier University, featuring Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein
• 6:15 p.m., Midwest Premiere of “Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun Show,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater, Over-the-Rhine
• 7 p.m., A Night Honoring Veterans featuring Navy Seal Jon Sanchez, Woodward Theater, Over-the-Rhine
• 8 p.m. “Being Rachel” (In collaboration with the Ken Anderson Alliance)

Friday, September 28

• 7:15 p.m., Midwest Premiere of “Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater
• 8:30 p.m., Midwest Premiere of “Take A Look at This Heart,” Erich Kunzel School for the Performing Arts (SCPA), Mayerson Theater
• 9:30 p.m., Exclusive Screening and Performance, “Label-less by Lachey Arts,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater

Saturday, September 29

• 12 p.m., Cincinnati Premiere, “United Skates,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater
• 6 p.m., The Rat Pack Bash: A Tribute to Sammy Davis Jr., Festival Awards Ceremony and Film Screening of “I’ve Gotta Be Me,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater and Music Hall

Sunday, September 30

• 2 p.m., “Disney’s Queen of Katwe,” Free Community Movie, Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater
• 4:30 p.m., Cincinnati Exclusive Screening, “Two Beats, One Soul,” Erich Kunzel Center for Arts and Education (S.C.P.A.), Corbett Theater

Films which have been selected for the 2018 Festival include: “100,000 Miles A Second” (Short), “93 Miles” (Short), “A Ferry Tale” (Short), “A Level Playing Field” (Short), “A Place Where We Can Be Treated Fairly” (Short), “After Death in Heaven” (Short), “Aiden’s Journey: The Next Chapter” (Short), “Anyone Like Me” (Short), “Being Rachel” (Feature), “Birth of a New Form: Lineillism Revealed” (Short), “Carry On Little Sis” (Short), “Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story” (Feature), “Fool” (Short), “Godspeed: The Pace of Being Known” (Short), “Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun Show” (Feature), “Harlem Blues” (Short), “How the Moon Fell From the Sky and No On Even Noticed” (Short), “Hypo” (Short), “Irony” (Short), “Just Go!” (Short), “Let Us Dance” (Feature), “Life In Strides” (Short), Mumpsimus and Halcyon Discord” (Short), “My Dad Matthew” (Short), “Outburst” (Short), “Palacios” (Feature), “Peggie” (Short), “Project Home: The Next Battle” (Short), “Queen of Katwe” (Feature), “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me” (Feature), “Sexual Being” (Short), “Sing Me” (Short), “Snowflakes & Diamonds” (Short), “Standing Still | Standing Still” (Short), Take A Look At This Heart” (Feature), “The Best Little Coffeehouse in Maryland” (Short), “The Children Act” (Feature), “The Color of Me” (Short), “The Intimate Realities of Water” (Feature), “The Last Embrace” (Short), “The Magic Bracelet” (Short), “Thin Lines” (Short), “True Colors” (Short) and “Unmasked” (Short).

Individual screening tickets, event tickets and an All Access Pass as well as more information on films and events are available at OTRFilmFest.org or by calling (513) 487-3939.