IMPERFECT Set For North American Digital Premiere in February 2024

The inspiring IMPERFECT set for North American digital premiere February 16, 2024 tackles the lack of authentic representation of artists with disabilities in entertainment and media.

By: Dec. 17, 2023
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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 the 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.

imperfect will be available on digital Feb 16 via GDR.


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