Film Being Heumann about Judith Heumann to be released in November — ABC News Australia
The release of the film Being Heumann about activist Judith Heumann, one of the leaders of the American disability rights movement in the 1970s, is scheduled in the United States for November. As ABC News Australia reports, the leading role in the film will be played by British actress Ruth Madeley, who lives with spina bifida.
Disability rights movement
Heumann died in 2023 at the age of 75. She helped lead a movement whose participants spoke out against the systemic discrimination of people with disabilities in the United States.
One of the key events was the Section 504 sit-in protests. Activists occupied a senator's office for several weeks, seeking the adoption of a petition to amend the 1973 US Rehabilitation Act in order to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability. As noted in the article, this change later led to the first version of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
The American disability rights movement is also covered by the documentary Crip Camp, released in 2020. It tells the story of young people who met at a summer camp for people with disabilities in 1971 and later organized protests and campaigns.
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Participation of people with disabilities in the film
American activist Rebekah Taussig co-wrote the screenplay for Being Heumann. According to ABC News Australia, Madeley and Taussig have lived experience of disability, which is important for representing such stories on screen.
The article notes that stories about people with disabilities in cinema have often been created without consulting people with relevant experience. This can lead to inaccurate portrayals of the disability experience and the spread of stereotypes.
As an example of a different approach, the author mentions the 2022 Australian comedy series Latecomers. Its leading roles were played by Hannah Diviney and Angus Thompson, who use wheelchairs in everyday life. Being Heumann is planned for release in a limited number of cinemas and on a streaming service.
