Tag Archive

Arts and Entertainment

LightHouse News

FREE Screening of CinemAbility in Emeryville

CinemAbility is an Independent film that is getting great reviews. You can read the review here.

From the early days of silent films to present day, from Chaplin to X-Men, disability portrayals are ever changing. This dynamic documentary takes a detailed look at the evolution of “disability” in entertainment by going behind the scenes to interview Filmmakers, Studio Executives, Film Historians, and Celebrities, and by utilizing vivid clips from Hollywood’s most beloved motion pictures and television programs to focus attention on the powerful impact that entertainment and the media can have on society.

Do disability portrayals in the media impact society or does the media simply reflect our ever-changing attitudes? This important documentary aims to find out if the media has had a hand in transforming the societal inclusion of the disabled and determine if an enlightened understanding of disability can have a positive impact on the world.

See the trailer here.

Catherine Kudlick, PhD, Professor of History and Director, Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability and Superfest Coordinator will moderate a discussion following the screening.

When: 7pm, November 20th, 2013
Where: United Artists Emery Bay Stadium 10 | 6330 Christie Ave | Emeryville, CA

LightHouse News

Superfest Audience Votes the Worst Disability Films

Superfest 2013: The Dissies was a stupendous hit with full-to-the-rafters attendance. Folks representing every aspect of the disability community assembled in San Francisco’s Mission District to hoot, holler and heckle at some of the most abysmal representations of disability in film. Attendees enjoyed beer, wine and popcorn and mingled before and after the show, further strengthening their ties.

This year, the audience voted for and awarded seven films with a Dissie because of the films’ ridiculous portrayal of disabilities:

  • Worst Portrayal of a Disability by a Nondisabled Actor: Gene Hackman, “Young Frankenstein”
  • So Sweet (That They’re Not): Heidi, “Heidi”
  • The Most Amazing Miracle: Allan Mann, “Monkey Shines”
  • The Most Tragic: “Million Dollar Baby”
  • The Worst Disabled Villain: Dr. Strangelove, “Dr. Strangelove”
  • Crips Gone Wild!: Danny, “Blind Dating”
  • Hey – Only we can Laugh at that!: “The Ringer”

The house was packed and full of great energy. Already we’ve received many kind words and enthusiastic accolades, and the response to the survey we sent to attendees has been very positive. It was truly a diverse community event, and it can only grow from here.

Here’s a link to a short excerpt from the event, featuring LightHouse Board President Josh Miele.

Next year the LightHouse will collaborate again on Superfest with the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability and are in discussions to shape the format and themes of next year’s event. We look forward to Superfest 2014 and hope to see you there.

LightHouse staffer Gilberto Melendez presents a Dissie award to Christina Mills, director of CFILC, who is accepting the award for Heidi in the So Sweet (That They’re Not) categoryAccessibility Consultant Scott Rains holds a Dissie award. To his left is emcee Lawrence Carter-Long

LightHouse News

Help Museums Understand the Blind Visitor

Do you love visiting museums? Do you enjoy art, but dislike the museum experience? Do you wish museums better understood your perspective and needs? Rachel Sakai, wants to hear your stories. Rachel is a graduate student at California College of the Arts. For her thesis she will be re-imagining the way museums create content for blind visitors and the way museums approach accessible design. Research will include a discussion once or twice a month, prototype testing, and museum visits.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Rachel at rsakai@cca.edu or 415-937-2236.

LightHouse News

Free Tickets to Fun Events Through LightHouse Community Services

In partnership with the Arts and Lectures Series at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, LightHouse for the Blind’s Community Services Program is able to offer free tickets to the following exciting events: The Great Broadway Sing-Along, Bettye LeVette and Cowgirl Creamery: A Conversation and Cheese Tasting.

Tickets will be distributed on a first come first serve basis to blind and low vision LightHouse clients only. Due to the high demand and limited available seating, each interested person can choose just one event to attend for free. We will meet at the LightHouse and take public transportation to the Jewish Community Center.

Please contact Beth Berenson to register for one event at info@old.lighthouse-sf.org or call 415-431-1481. See below for a description of each event:

The Great Broadway Sing-Along
When: Thursday, December 5 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Meet at the LightHouse

Come sing Broadway melodies featuring music from many of the greats: the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kander and Ebb, Sondheim, Bernstein and more. Join in as we sing songs from Broadway’s biggest, brightest and best musicals including Chicago, A Chorus Line, Mamma Mia, Les Misérables and The Lion King. Lyrics will be provided, and all ages are welcome as we celebrate 10 years of singing our hearts out together!

We will meet at the LightHouse (214 Van Ness Ave, SF) at 6:30 p.m. and depart by 7:00 p.m. SHARP. The event starts at 8:00 p.m.

Bettye Lavette
When: Thursday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Meet at the LightHouse

With a voice as powerful as Etta James’ and a story as compelling as Tina Turner’s, Grammy-nominee Bettye LaVette is finally gaining the superstar status that has eluded her since the 1960s. The New York Times proclaimed that LaVette “now rivals Aretha Franklin as her generation’s most vital soul singer,” and her velvet-rich voice and gospel-based blues have earned the admiration of everyone from Paul McCartney, to Bonnie Raitt and Elvis Costello. “When you hear a voice like Bettye LaVette’s, there’s a sense of transportation…a certain freedom of movement and emotion, which is rare…Put me in the fan club! How did Bettye LaVette slip through the net for so long?” – Keith Richards

We will meet at the LightHouse (214 Van Ness Ave, SF) at 6:30 p.m. and depart by 7:00 p.m. SHARP. The event starts at 8:00 p.m..

Cowgirl Creamery: A Conversation and Cheese Tasting
When: Tuesday, February 25 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Meet at the LightHouse

A post-college hippie trip to San Francisco in 1976 led Sue Conley and Peggy Smith to establish careers in some of the Bay Area’s most famous kitchens, and eventually to found Cowgirl Creamery in Pt. Reyes Station. Their new book, Cowgirl Creamery Cooks, is a primer on tasting, buying, storing, pairing and appreciating cheese and includes a sumptuous collection of cheese-based recipes.

We will meet at the LightHouse (214 Van Ness Ave, SF) at 5:30 p.m. and depart by 6:00 p.m. SHARP. The event starts at 7:00 p.m.

LightHouse News

What do Pumpkins, Old Ships and Ghosts Have in Common?

Answer: The LightHouse for the Blind Youth Program

Over the next few autumn-laced weeks, the LightHouse Youth Program will venture out into the city for some autumn-type fun including:

Don’t miss out on the fun! Please check our more detailed blog postings for deadlines to sign-up.

pumpkins

LightHouse News

Unique Dinner, Concert and Dialog in the Dark to Benefit Enchanted Hills Camp

The Blind Cafe logo

What: San Francisco Blind Cafe
When: October 10, 11 and 12 at The Center SF, 548 Fillmore Street, San Francisco
Time: Doors will open at 6:30, dinner and event 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Tickets: Sliding scale from $85 to $150
To purchase tickets, call Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 or buy tickets online at http://bit.ly/blindcafetickets

The San Francisco Blind Cafe is a mind bending, heart opening experience where the audience will indulge in a vegetarian ‘Sensory Tasting Experience’, participate in a Q & A with their blind wait staff and enjoy a concert of original music, all in the pitch dark. This is NOT just another dinner in the dark. It’s a community experience where people connect, learn and grow while participating in something greater than themselves. The San Francisco Blind Cafe is designed to help you feel more alive, awake, present and connected to your world. Proceeds go to Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind.

LightHouse News

Mill Valley Film Festival: LightHouse Co-Presents Imagine, a Captivating Film About an Unorthadox Teacher at a School for the Blind

Join us for the screening of Imagine at the Mill Valley Film Festival, co-presented by the LightHouse for the Blind on Saturday, October 5th. Purchase tickets at http://www.mvff.com/.

Imagine poster

When: Saturday, October 5, 6:15 p.m.
Where: Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 4th Street, San Rafael, 94901.
Phone: (415) 454-1222.

Imagine is a full-length English-language film produced by Polish director Andrzej Jakimowski, set in a fictitious school for the blind in Portugal. A new teacher espouses the virtues of echolocation, causing quite a controversy. It’s a thought provoking film. Audio description headsets will be available.

Watch the trailer for Imagine.

A post screening discussion will be led by LightHouse’s Executive Director Bryan Bashin and Donor Relations Coordinator, Lisamaria Martinez.

See you at the film festival!

LightHouse News

Sing, Sing, Sing at Karaoke Night on Friday, September 27

Calling all crooners and divas! Are you more than a shower singer? Are you that star waiting to be born, yearning for the spotlight? Do you secretly want to one-up American Idols? If you answered yes to any of these questions, head over to the LightHouse for the Blind on Friday, September 27 for a fun and entertaining night of karaoke, laughter and pizza.

If you would like more information, or to RSVP for this event, please contact Jamey Gump, Youth Services Coordinator, at (415) 694-7372, or by email at jgump@old.lighthouse-sf.org.

Who: Low Vision and Blind Transition Aged Youth (Ages 16 – 24)
What: Karaoke & pizza will be provided
When: Friday, September 27th from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Please make your transportation arrangements to pick you up no later than 9:00 p.m. DOORS WILL CLOSE AT 9:00 p.m., SHARP.
Where: LightHouse for the Blind at 214 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA
Waiver: Each participant must submit a LightHouse Youth Program waiver form, if they have not done so for a previous event.
Cost: $2.00 (includes admission, food and drink)
RSVP: Jamey Gump, Youth Services Coordinator, at jgump@old.lighthouse-sf.org or (415) 694-7372