February 22, 2007
disABILITIES Film Festival and Speaker Series features Murderball
Award winning athlete and star of Murderball, Mark Zupan, will be the presenting speaker
What: The Museum of disABILITY History, a project of People Inc., will continue its disABILITIES Film Festival and Speaker Series with Murderball and Mark Zupan as the featured movie and speaker. This particular film was originally scheduled in October, but postponed due to the October Surprise Storm. Murderball is an Academy Award nominated documentary chronicling the lives of U.S. full-contact rugby players with quadriplegia going for gold at the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
When: Saturday, February 24, 2007; 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Dipson Market Arcade Film and Arts Center, 639 Main Street, Buffalo
Speaker: Award winning athlete and star of Murderball, Mark Zupan, will be the featured speaker focusing on “smashing stereotypes one hit at a time.” After a car accident, Zupan’s ability to survive hypothermia and quadriplegia to become a Georgia Tech graduate, civil engineer, two time quad rugby national champion, 2004 quad rugby player of the year, world class Olympic quad rugby bronze medal winner, and spokesman for Team USA all show what a positive mind can do. Zupan is also a hard-edged motivator who destroys the stereotypes about people with spinal cord injuries. Zupan shares his story in his newly released book, GIMP: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold - or You Can Play, and will be selling and autographing copies of it after the film.
Admission: $2 per person and free for students and Veterans.
Why: The goal is to provide entertainment and information while exploring issues faced by people with disabilities. The programs are intended to educate viewers about disabilities and challenge stereotypes.
For more information: Visit www.disabilityfilmfest.org or call (716) 817-7261
Sponsors: Borders, The Buffalo News, and supported by the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission and the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.
The Museum of disABILITY History is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and display of artifacts relating to the history of people with disabilities. The mission is to tell the story of the lives, triumphs, and struggles of people with disabilities as well as society’s reactions. For more information, visit www.museumofdisability.org.
People Inc. is a not-for-profit health and human service agency providing programs and services to more than 10,000 people with special needs, their families and seniors throughout Western New York. Since 1971, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity.
Note: Mark Zupan will be available for interviews in the lobby of the Dipson Market Arcade Film and Arts Center while the movie is being shown. To confirm an interview, call Nicole Passantino at (716) 440-5161.
