AFB Documentary Film Expands Positive Perceptions on Blindness

The AFB documentary film Possibilities continues to gain traction as screenings and festival accolades bring an authentic portrayal of blindness to audiences across the globe.

Possibilities Logo Most recently, AFB was honored to screen the film virtually to Google employees worldwide as part of their effort to raise awareness during National Disability employment awareness Month, which is anchored in October each year. The screening, which included a panel with the film’s director, Bill Sarine, alongside AFB’s Eric Bridges and Melody Goodspeed, demonstrated how companies can use the film as a teaching tool to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.

In the weeks leading up to the Google Screening, Melody Goodspeed, who also served as a producer on the project, was joined by the film’s executive producer, Scott Tennant, for a special screening at the Champion Film Salon in Point Pleasant, Texas. The international film festival focuses on empowering voices from the disability community, and both Goodspeed and Tennant were on hand to receive the festival’s medal for best picture.

Other milestones in recent months include recognition as the best disability film at the Power 24 International Film Festival in Durban, South Africa, and recognition as a semi-finalist at the Istanbul Movie Awards, which offered an opportunity to spotlight talent like Kemal Gorey, the Istanbul based composer who assisted Stephen Letnes with the film’s musical score. Both Letnes and Gorey are among the many talent who are blind or have low vision who also contributed to the film’s production.

“We’re thankful to all those who have recognized the power that storytelling can play in changing the perception of people with disabilities,” said Tony Stephens, AFB Assistant Vice President for communications. Stephens, who served as a producer on the film, had the opportunity to lead a panel at the 2024 AFB Leadership Conference following a public screening in Minneapolis.

The film has now been accepted into 13 festivals spanning seven countries, including screenings this November at the Hungarian Disability Film Festival in Budapest and the Bridges International Film Festival in Greece, where AFB’s Tony Stephens, who also served as a producer on the film, will travel to present a panel following the film’s screening on November 19th. Information on these screenings and other upcoming events can be found on the film’s page at www.afb.org/possibilities.

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