No. 29. (2020) CRIP CAMP May 23rd.

Film No. 29 (2020)  May 23rd.  8:35 PM.  Netflix, Living Room  Mt. Hawthorn. W.A.

 

"A rehabilitation program has been vetoed by The President because it is cost prohibitive". (The voice of a news-reporter announcing Nixon's reaction to a national push for greater integration into American society for those with disabilities).

By far and away the most significant feature documentary I've watched in 2020, is Crip Camp, and that's saying something. I loved Honeyland for its social comment, but Crip gives us an insight into how those with both physical and intellectual disabilities became empowered in a society that would have preferred that they be neither seen nor heard. Camp Jenad existed a few miles south of Woodstock. People less fixated on the bustle of life and more with living it (Hippies), shared time with cripples, the demeaning label of the time. It was in this environment of compassion and shared experiences that a revolution occurred, a revolution which extended to the highest echelons of government. The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990 and the way the world treated those with disabilities, world wide, was changed for ever. Doco film makers James Lebrecht,a dis(who has a disability) and Nicole Newnham have created one of the year's most important films. Using a mixture of grainy file film and contemporary interviews, Crip Camp should be seen by many. Hey, it's a Netflix production, surely many will. 11GUMS.