Contending with the public judgments over their identity that has been imposed on them throughout their lives has led many disabled performers to work to change that narrative. These actors and musicians are so passionate about performing, and life overall, that they’re refusing to stay in the parameters that society has set for them. Their journey is showcased in the upcoming documentary, ‘Imperfect.’
Global Digital Releasing is set to distribute the film on North American digital platforms on February 16, 2024. In honor of ‘Imperfect’s release, Film Factual is premiering an exclusive clip from the feature, which is titled ‘Adam and Callbacks.’
‘Imperfect’ follows a professional company of actors with disabilities defies expectations by taking center stage in the musical ‘Chicago.’ The movie was directed and produced by Regan Linton, who also works as an actor, writer and theatre artist. As a paraplegic theatre professional, she has become a nationally-recognized advocate for inclusive practices in the arts, and consistently works with national theatre, film and television communities to help them engage disabled artists.
Throughout the documentary’s production, Linton was joined by fellow helmer-producer Brian Malone. The latter also served as the movie’s cinematographer and editor.
While discussing ‘Imperfect,’ Linton stated: “While the past few years have seen increased presence of disability in entertainment and media, there is still a long way to go to achieve authentic and comprehensive representation of artists with disabilities on stage and screen…without condescension, pity, or stigmatization.
“In 2017, the Ruderman Family Foundation produced a white paper showing that while 20-25% of the U.S. population has a disability, fewer than 2% of all television characters had a disability, and 95% of top TV show characters with disabilities were played by non-disabled performers (Ruderman 2017).
“In 2021, a report from Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity (TTIE), Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and Women in Film showed that 93.0% of writers said their most recent writers room had no disabled or Deaf writers.”
“In theatre, there is no significant data available on representation of disability.
“In addition to representation, the disability community still fights against shame-based narratives. Disabled characters that do show up are frequently one-dimensional, with disability overwhelming their stories at the exclusion of other life experiences and complexities.
“‘Imperfect fights against these historical trends. The film puts strong, talented artists with disabilities front and center, telling their own stories. Working under the direction of a disabled leader, they produce unique, groundbreaking, award-winning productions.
“As the entertainment industries begin to turn the tide around inclusion of disabled artists, imperfect presents those who are already doing the work, blowing the socks off of audiences and critics as they transform our understanding of what is possible.”
Film Factual 