Topic: Disability

Direction Milos Forman

Cast Jack Nicholson · Louise Fletcher · Brad Dourif · William Redfield

Synopsis One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) follows Randle McMurphy, a rebellious convict who fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental institution rather than prison. There, he clashes with the authoritarian Nurse Ratched, who controls the ward with...

Direction Tod Browning

Cast Wallace Ford · Leila Hyams · Olga Baclanova · Roscoe Ates

Synopsis The story involves duplicitous trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) seducing sideshow midget Hans (Earles) for his inheritance. Hans’ reluctant friends, the other sideshow attractions, resist allowing her into their clan, until Hans maintains her love is genuine.

Direction William Wyler

Cast Dana Andrews · Fredric March · Myrna Loy · Harold Russell

Synopsis The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) follows three American veterans returning home after World War II, each struggling to reintegrate into civilian life. Fred, a decorated bombardier, faces unemployment and marital strain. Al, a middle-aged sergeant, grapples with alcoholism...

Direction Robert Zemeckis

Cast Tom Hanks · Robin Wright · Gary Sinise · Mykelti Williamson

Synopsis Forrest Gump (1994) follows the extraordinary life of a kind-hearted man with a low IQ, who unintentionally influences several pivotal moments in 20th-century American history. From his humble beginnings in Alabama, Forrest becomes a football star, a Vietnam War hero,...

Direction Robert Aldrich

Cast Bette Davis · Joan Crawford · Victor Buono · Wesley Addy

Synopsis What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) follows the chilling tale of two aging sisters, former Hollywood stars, living in isolation. Jane, a once-famous child performer, cares for her wheelchair-bound sister Blanche, a former movie star whose career eclipsed Jane's....

Direction Adam Elliot

Synopsis Mary and Max (2009) is a heartfelt animated film about an unlikely friendship between Mary, a lonely 8-year-old girl from Australia, and Max, a 44-year-old man with Asperger's syndrome living in New York. The two begin exchanging letters after Mary...

Direction David Lynch

Cast Anthony Hopkins · John Hurt · Anne Bancroft · John Gielgud

Synopsis The Elephant Man (1980) tells the poignant story of John Merrick, a severely disfigured man living in 19th-century London. Discovered in a sideshow by Dr. Frederick Treves, Merrick is brought to a hospital for study and care. As Treves and...

Direction Jonathan Karsh

Direction Olivier Nakache · Eric Toledano

Cast François Cluzet · Omar Sy · Anne Le Ny · Audrey Fleurot

Synopsis The Intouchables (2011) tells the heartwarming story of an unlikely friendship between Philippe, a wealthy quadriplegic, and Driss, a young man from a disadvantaged background. When Philippe hires Driss as his live-in caregiver, their contrasting worlds collide, leading to moments...

Direction Antoni P. Canet

Cast Carlos Cristos

Synopsis Doctor Carlos Cristos, who at the age of 47 is suffering a terminal illness, calls up a friend, a film director, to shoot struggle for the dignity in living and dying and, without dramatics and “with a smile if possible”,...

Direction Ian Bonhôte · Peter Ettedgui

Cast Tatyana McFadden · Jonnie Peacock · Bebe Vio Beatrice · Jean Baptiste Alaize

Synopsis The history and current standing of the Paralympic Games, which has grown to become the world's third largest sporting event.

Direction Bahman Ghobadi

Cast Avaz Latif · Soran Ebrahim · Hirsh Feyssal · Saddam Hossein Feysal

Synopsis In Turtles Can Fly (2004), set on the Iraq-Turkey border, a group of Kurdish refugee children navigate the harsh realities of war. The story follows 13-year-old "Satellite," a clever and resourceful boy who organizes his peers to clear landmines for...

Direction Frank Borzage

Cast Janet Gaynor · Charles Farrell · Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams · Paul Fix

Synopsis Mary, a poor farm girl, meets Tim just as word comes that war has been declared. Tim enlists in the army and goes to the battlefields of Europe, where he is wounded and loses the use of his legs. Home...

Direction Hiroshi Shimizu

Cast Kyôko Kagawa · Yukiko Shimazaki · Kenzo Kawarazaki · Jûkichi Uno

Synopsis A university professor and his wife have two sons with infantile paralysis. Through trial and error, they struggle to open a school for disabled children at their own expense. Based on a true story, it features natural child performances under...

Direction Dalton Trumbo

Cast Timothy Bottoms · Jason Robards · Donald Sutherland · Marsha Hunt

Synopsis Johnny Got His Gun (1971) follows Joe Bonham, a young American soldier severely wounded in World War I. Trapped in his own body—blind, deaf, mute, and limbless—he reflects on his past, dreams, and the brutal realities of war through fragmented...

Direction Arthur Penn

Cast Anne Bancroft · Patty Duke · Andrew Prine · Inga Swenson

Synopsis The Miracle Worker (1962) tells the inspiring true story of Helen Keller, a deaf-blind girl trapped in a world of silence and darkness. Her desperate parents hire Annie Sullivan, a determined and innovative teacher, to help Helen communicate. Through relentless...

Direction Juan José Campanella

Cast Ricardo Darín · Héctor Alterio · Norma Aleandro · Natalia Verbeke

Synopsis Son of the Bride (2001) follows Rafael, a middle-aged man overwhelmed by his hectic life running a restaurant and managing personal struggles. His estranged relationship with his aging parents, particularly his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's, adds to his emotional...

Direction Joshua Weigel

Cast Eduardo Verastegui · Nick Vujicic · Doug Jones · Matt Allmen

Synopsis The Butterfly Circus (S) (2009) is a short film set during the Great Depression. It follows a traveling circus that brings hope and wonder to struggling communities. The story centers on Will, a man born without limbs, who is discovered...

Direction Michael Haneke

Cast Jean-Louis Trintignant · Emmanuelle Riva · Isabelle Huppert · William Shimell

Synopsis Love (2012) follows Georges and Anne, an elderly couple whose deep bond is tested when Anne suffers a stroke. As her health declines, Georges becomes her devoted caretaker, navigating the challenges of aging, illness, and unwavering commitment. Their quiet, dignified...

Direction Werner Herzog

Cast Fini Straubinger

Synopsis Through examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind struggle to understand and accept a...