Disability & Film Production (Part 1) - Ophira Calof, Disabled Producers Lab

Joeita speaks to scriptwriter and disabled TV producer Ophira Calof about the Disabled Producers Lab a new program designed to teach production skills to disabled women and trans creators. Part 1 of a 2 part series.

Highlights

• Disability Stereotypes - Opening Remarks (00:00)
• Introducing Ophira Calof – Writer, Performer & Facilitator (01:54)
• Cripping the Script (04:00)
• Shifting Our Structures (05:00)
• The Role of the Storyteller (06:51)
• Representation & Disability Narratives (10:18)
• Disabled Producers Lab (12:46)
• Addressing Barriers, Ableism & Broader Structural Issues (19:50)
• Increasing Disability Representation in the TV Landscape (23:07)
• Disabled Producers Lab Application Process (25:17)
• Show Close (27:01)

Guest Bio -

Ophira Calof (pronouns: they/she) is a multi-award winning Disabled writer and performer who is drawn to character driven stories that combine humour and heart while subverting narrative tropes and works to “crip the script,” centring disability knowledge and experience. Their recent credits include One More Time (CBC), Rubble and Crew (Treehouse TV), PUSH (CBC), Shelved (CTV), Dino Dex (Amazon Prime), Welcome Series (Titan1Studios), and their solo show Literally Titanium, which has been featured in both academic and performance spaces as a case study in accessible production.

Ophira is also the creative director for the Accessible Writers’ Lab, a national initiative presented by AMI, RAFFTO and sponsored by the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm, to experiment with what an accessible tv writers’ room might involve. Ophira was the accessibility process lead for AccessCBC, and the curatorial committee lead for the 2022 ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto. They have taught workshops and provided mentorship internationally on storytelling, writing, music, accessibility and disability narratives, and created the courses Sketch Comedy with Ophira Calof and Crip Storytelling, a series in partnership with Centre of Independent Living Toronto and the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre.

Additionally, Ophira has created a number of disability arts projects including the series Making Space: Stories of Disabled Youth Past and Present (Myseum Toronto/RAFFTO) and Dis/Play, a public arts project that projected the stories of over 50 Deaf and Disabled creatives onto exterior building walls across the city (MNJCC/RAFFTO/ArtWorxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021-2022).

Ophira graduated from Second City’s Writing and Sketch Conservatory programs and the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Emerging Creator’s Unit. They were featured in the Second City 2018 Toronto Diversity Fellowship Showcase, are the 2018 recipient of the Tim Sims Encouragement Award and received the 2021 Cahoots Theatre Promising Pen Prize. They were also named a TV writing fellow for the 2022 RespectAbility Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities and are currently taking part in the 2023 Warner Brothers Discovery Access X Canadian Academy Writers Program.

Disability Screen Office:

The Disability Screen Office is a national, not-for-profit organization that works with the Canadian screen industry to eliminate accessibility barriers and foster authentic and meaningful disability representation throughout the sector.

We are excited to help make the Canadian media industry more inclusive, and look forward to amplifying the voices of people with disabilities across the Canadian media landscape.

Disabled Producers Lab:

The Disabled Producers Lab is a part-time, online program designed as a space for disabled producers marginalized by gender across Canada including, but not limited to, transgender women, cisgender women, transgender men, non-binary people and many other gender identities.

Up to five participants will enter the lab with a completed short film script (up to 10 minutes or 10 to 11 pages) and be paired with an industry mentor to support them in developing a comprehensive production binder for the film featuring a realistic schedule, budget, accessibility plan and pitch package.

This lab aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge required to be a successful producer and create systemic change within the production industry by fostering an environment where accessibility is at the forefront of production practices, challenging and reshaping industry norms.

Check out the Pulse on YouTube!

About AMI

AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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