PAST FESTIVALS

Superfest was founded in Los Angeles before it was relocated to the Bay Area in 1998. A project of Culture! Disability! Talent! (CDT), the annual film festivals were held in Berkeley from 1998 to 2011 under direction of Pamela Walker and later, Liane Yasumoto. In 2012, CDT began to search for new leadership who had the innovation, spark and dedication to take Superfest to the next level. Catherine Kudlick, director of the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University and Bryan Bashin, CEO of LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired were the well-matched organizations chosen to give Superfest the new life and energy that it maintains today.

In 2020, the Paul K. Longmore Institute took over the helm of Superfest and is leading the 34th Superfest solo for the first time.

SUPERFEST 2015

AWARD-WINNING FILMS:

BEST OF FESTIVAL FEATURE  Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement [61 min.] Director: Regan Brashear; U.S.

BEST OF FESTIVAL SHORT  Bastion [11 min.] Director: Ray Jacobs; U.K.

ADVOCACY AWARD  Do You Dream in Color [71 min.] Director: Abby Fuller and Sarah Ivy; U.S.

DISABLED FILMMAKER AWARD  Predators of Transylvania [7 min.] Director: Julia Kolenakova; Slovakia

EXCELLENCE AWARD  To Be Or Not To Be [61 min.] Director: Aziz Zairov; Kazakhstan

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD  Sins Invalid: An Unshamed Claim to Beauty [33 min.] Director: Patty Berne; U.S.

P. K. WALKER INNOVATION IN CRAFT AWARD  Regione Caecorum (In the Land of the Blind) [3 min.] Director: Drew Goldsmith; U.S.

ARTISTRY AWARD  The Gift (of Impermanence) [11 min.] Director: Alex Ketley; U.S.

DISABILITY COMEDY AWARD  Rent-A-Crip [3 min.] Director: Terry Galloway and Diane Wilkins; U.S.

SUPERFEST 2014

AWARD-WINNING FILMS:

BEST OF FESTIVAL  The Interviewer [13 min.] Director: Genevieve Clay-Smith and R. Bryan; AUSTRALIA.

EXCELLENCE AWARD(S): Vectors of Autism: A Documentary about Laura Nagle [40 min.] Director: John Schaffer; U.S.

EXCELLENCE AWARD(S): Once Again [19 min.] Director: John Spottswood Moore; U.S.

MERIT AWARD  Everything Is Incredible [10 min.] Director: Tyler Bastian; HONDURAS

PAMELA K. WALKER AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN CRAFT  The Nature of Pleasure [8 min.] Director: Thanh Diep; U.S.

ADVOCACY AWARD  Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Our Stories [28 min.] Director: Dan Habib; U.S.

DISABLED FILMMAKER AWARD  Krutch [5 min.] Director: Clark Matthews; U.S.

SUPERFEST 2013

THE DISSIES
In 2013, Superfest presented a special event: “The Dissies.” An evening of film clips looking back to embrace, mock, cringe and guffaw at some of the more-troublesome bits of disability film history. Films nominated by our community showed us how bad things really were and how much progress we’ve already achieved in a century of films involving people with disabilities. Mock “Dissie” awards were given in categories, such as “The Worst Disabled Villain” and “The Most Amazing Miracle.” 

SUPERFEST 2011

BEST OF FESTIVAL  Flying Anne [20 min.] Director: Catherine van Campen; Producer: Joost Seelen; NETHERLANDS.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS  
The Greatest Show on Earth [24 min.] Director & Producer: Rosa Rogers; U.K.
Voices from El-Sayed [75 min.] Director: Oded Adomi Leshem; Producer: Belfilms; ISRAEL

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS  
Drona & Me [19 min.] Director: Catherine van Campen; Producer: Joost Seelen; NETHERLANDS.
Read Me Differently [56 min.] Director & Producer: Sarah Entine; U.S.
Stark! Moritz–It’d be Cool if She Became an Angel [15:06 min.] Director: Simone Grabs; Producer: Eva Radlicki; GERMANY

MERIT AWARDS
Antoine [52 min.] Director: Laura Bari; Producers: Laura Bari & Mila Aung-Thwin; CANADA
Crooked Beauty [31 min.] Director: Ken Paul Rosenthal; Producer: Angel Vasquez; U.S.
Departure Lounge [26 min.] Director: Louis Neethling; Producers: Louis Neethling & David Horbury; U.K.
Loud, Proud, and Passionate! [5 min.] Directors: Dana Vion & Sky’s the Limit Creative Services; Producers: Susan Sygall & Mobility International U.S.A.; U.S.
Mothersbane [11:40 min.] Director & Producer: Jason Jakaitis; U.S.

PAMELA K. WALKER AWARD
Rainman Goes to RocKwiz [30 min.] Director: Russell Kilbey; Producer: Amy Scully; AUSTRALIA.

EMERGING
Hannah [5:30 min.] Director & Producer: Sergio Cruz; U.K.

SUPERFEST 2010

BEST OF FESTIVAL  Like a Butterfly [29 min.] Director: Ewa Pieta; Producer: Miroslaw Grubek, POLAND.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS
When I’m Not Alone [21 min.] Director & Producer: Rhianon Gutierrez, U.S.
Children of the Stars [50 min.] Director: Rob Aspey; Producer: Alexander Haase, U.S.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Beyond Borders [20 min.] Director: Brecht Vanmeirhaeghe; Producers: Fabrio Wuytack & Handicum, BELGIUM.
Miya of the Quiet Strength [57 min.] Director & Producer: Daniel Julien, U.S.
The Portrait of a Disabled Man [45 min.] Directors & Producers: Volker Schoenwiese & Bernd Thomas, AUSTRIA.

MERIT AWARDS
The Last American Freak Show [85 min.] Producer & Director: Richard Butchins, U.K.
My Friend Claude (Mon Ami Claude) [20 min.] Director & Producer: Yves Langlois, CANADA.
Wipe Out [50 min.] Director: Lionel Goddard; Producer: National Film Board of Canada, U.S.
Far From Home [27 min.] Director & Producer: Elissa Moon, U.S.
The Art of Movement [9 min.] Director: David Levitt Waxman; Producers: David & Susan Levitt Waxman, U.S.

PAMELA K. WALKER AWARD
White Sound [6 min.] Director & Producer: Sarah Tracton, AUSTRALIA.

EMERGING
Je me Souviens: Excluded from the Montreal Subway Since 1966 [14 mim.] Director & Producer: Laurence Parent, CANADA.

SUPERFEST 2009

In 2009, the organizers selected films that had previously won a Superfest award, calling the festival "Superfest Classics." The line-up can be viewed here.

SUPERFEST 2008

BEST OF FESTIVAL  Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy [40 min.] Producer: Alice Elliott & Simone Pero, U.S.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS  
Dragon People [24 min.] Producer: Rosa Rogers, U.K.
Including Samuel [58 min.] Producer: Dan Habib, U.S.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Iron Genrikh [51:41 min.] Producer: Alexey Pogrelnoy, Russia
The Miracle [29 min.] Producer: Jeffrey Jon Smith, U.S.
Multiple [29 min.] Producer: Lucinda Broadbent, U.K.

MERIT AWARDS
The Collector of Bedford Street [34 min.] Producer: Alice Elliott, U.S.
Edges of Perception [14 min.] Producer: Eric Kutner, U.S.
Phoenix Dance [16:22 min.] Producer: Karina Epperlein, U.S.
Pushin’ Forward [39 min.] Producer: Izumi Tanaka, U.S.
Slide [3:52 min.] Producer: Sharon Katz, Canada

PAMELA K. WALKER AWARD
Tiresias [8 min.] Producers: Olimpias Disability Culture Productions, U.S.

OUTSTANDING PSA’S/PROMOS
PSA: School Love and Class Photo, Producer: Guzella Nikolaishvili, Russia
Sins Invalid: Trailer [3 min.] Producer: Patricia Berne, U.S.

For a complete list of Superfest Film Festival Winners going back to 1998, please visit Culture! Disability! Talent!