Under the lights: How are disabled represented in cinema?

Make note of an interesting and unique event at the Rio Theater on Saturday April 30 at 5 p.m. A local filmmaker from Santa Rosa will be screening his short film "Under the Lights“ about a high school senior with epilepsy who goes to prom knowing he will likely have a seizure just so he can be "normal" for a few hours.

Cinema has historically stigmatized and ignored people with epilepsy. A demographic of 1 in 26 who have almost never been represented authentically on screen, and suffer from brutal stigma every day.

The short film stars Pearce Joza (Disney's Z-O-M-B-I-E-S ) and Alyssa Jirrels (Marvel's Agents of Shield).

The two actors will be flying up from LA for the screening, followed by a Q&A about the film as well as a panel discussion entitled "The State of Disability Representation in Cinema". The panel also features director Miles Levin and Carlos Quesada, CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northern California.

Here is some additional information about the event. https://impact.epilepsynorcal.org/event/under-the-lights-monte-rio-theater/e402865