Tonight I did something a little different from my normal Tuesday evening routine: I went to a screening of a documentary with a handful of my co-workers. Admittedly, I do really enjoy documentaries (I'm geeky like that) and often just pop one on the tv when I'm working on a project or doing some cleaning up around the apartment. It's usually background noise, something I'm not always paying attention to, just a diversion. So, as per usual, I brought a project with me to work on tonight to keep my hands busy. It was just something easy that I didn't have to think about at all. But I have to tell you, I didn't work one single stitch once the film started.
I had heard about the screening via an email list I am part of at work. Generally I don't talk about my work a lot on this blog, but for those of you who don't know me personally I'll give you a bit of background. I work for a small non-profit which provides services such as employment, housing, and therapy based day programs to individuals with developmental disabilities. Before I started working there I was completely unaware that agencies like mine even existed. I also didn't have much of an idea of what life was like for those living with physical or intellectual disabilities. This job opened my eyes to a different world.
The documentary is saw tonight, "Shooting Beauty," delves into that world that I knew so little about. It is the story of a photographer who helped people with significant disabilities document their lives through photography. The story is absolutely beautiful and it touched me deeply. I think I can safely say that when the group of us left that auditorium, everyone felt that the hour and a half screening was time very well spent.
While "Shooting Beauty" is unfortunately not widely available, you can see enough of it in the trailer below to decide if you are interested. If you like what you see, you can purchase a copy for $20 by going to the documentary's website. Even if you only watch it once I think it is worth the money.
SHOOTING BEAUTY trailer from George Kachadorian on Vimeo.
2 comments:
My daughter and her husband both have spina bifida and are significantly disabled. He is a photographer and the camera has given him an artistic voice in the world. Have seen this documentary reviewed and may buy it now after you wrote about it.
Yeah, it is a wonderful documentary. I'm most likely going to buy a copy for myself as well. I wish it was on Netflix or something so more people could have the opportunity to view it without purchasing it first. It just makes me think about how many things I take for granted and how something as simple as the ability to take pictures can really improve people's lives.
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