“We’re not going in to say ‘Look we’re doing an inspiring show.’ That’s not our intention. Our intention is ‘This is an awesome rock show that you came to see.’”
WHY THIS FILM? WHY NOW?
Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are often excluded or dismissed as art-makers. This film documents something rare – a group of adults with disabilities rehearsing and performing music and dance at a professional level for a mainstream audience at a world-class rock venue. This shouldn’t be rare, but unfortunately, adults with I/DD don’t often get opportunities to perform. And they have to advocate for themselves to create those opportunities.
WHY TITLE IT “THIS IS AN AWESOME ROCK SHOW”?
We titled the film This is an Awesome Rock Show, because it is a quote from Jessica Dart, the concert’s co-director, in a radio interview promoting the concert. She said, “We’re not going in to say ‘Look we’re doing an inspiring show.’ That’s not our intention. Our intention is ‘This is an awesome rock show that you came to see.’” Similarly this film is going to be an awesome rock documentary that audiences come to see. It just happens to feature adults with disabilities.
We intend to challenge the conventional perspective that people with disabilities need to be “heroes” or that their lives are “inspiring” to others. This is a great film because it is a great story with engaging characters. It is a film about incredible musicians and performers working hard to put on an epic rock concert and try something they haven’t done before. As such, we intend to reshape the “hero” narrative about people with disabilities and normalize their inclusion in the arts, as well as their inclusion as lead characters on screen.