Let’s give a huge congratulations to EDFC alumni Jennifer Msumba for winning THREE awards at the 2026 Heartland Film Festival for her film The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains. Jennifer worked hard on this incredible film that began as a short for the film challenge and turned it in to a feature during her time in our Adobe alumni grant program. She’s now the recipient of Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature, Documentary Audience Award and the Richard Propes Award from the Heartland Film Festival. We’re so proud of Jennifer and for the world to see this very important and powerful film. ID: Heartland Film Festival logo and THE FISH DON’T CARE WHEN IT RAINS winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature. Heartland Film Festival logo and THE FISH DON’T CARE WHEN IT RAINS winner of the Documentary Audience Award. Heartland Film Festival logo and THE FISH DON’T CARE WHEN IT RAINS winner of the Richard Propes Award. Jennifer Msumba poses on the red carpet with festival runners and filmmakers at the Heartland Film Festival. @jennifermsumba @fishdontcarefilm @heartlandfilm #EDFCalumni #successstories

Filmmaker Stephanie Castelete-Tyrrell talks about her participation working on the Best Awareness nominated film INTERUPPTIONS and that the EDFC is accessible to disabled filmmakers around the world. ID: Stephanie sits in her wheelchair in a pink sweater facing the camera as B-Roll images from her film and the awards show are interspersed throughout. #EDFCAwards #EDFC2026 #disabilityfilmchallenge #easterseals #awardshow

Founder and Director of the EDFC Nic Novicki shares his excitement for a record-breaking year of 144 film submissions and the anticipation of announcing the winners at the 13th annual awards ceremony from @sonypictures . ID: @nicnovicki a little person in a black suit, gets interviewed at the awards show. B-Roll images from the awards show are interspersed throughout. #EDFCAwards #EDFC2026 #disabilityfilmchallenge #easterseals #awardshow

Actor Marissa Bode (WICKED) and Best Actor nominee for the film DEAD WIFE MONTAGE loves that the Film Challenge gives disabled filmmakers the confirmation of knowing “that we are talented and we do belong in the entertainment industry.” ID: @marissa_edob sits facing the camera in a light pink shirt and black headphones. B-Roll images from her film and the awards show are interspersed throughout. #EDFCAwards #EDFC2026 #disabilityfilmchallenge #easterseals #awardshow

It's National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and we celebrate the value and talent workers with disabilities contribute to workplaces and the economy. We're so proud of all our Film Challenge participants who are getting jobs in the entertainment industry and making a difference. Check out our 2026 awards show recap and watch the full show on our YouTube channel which highlights some of the best disabled filmmakers in the industry ! ID: recap video of clips from our awards show held at @sonypicturesstudios #disabilityfilmchallenge #easterseals #DisabilityFilm #DisabilityStories #filmmakers #DisabilityRepresentation

We’re thrilled to announce that our 2026 winners and finalists will be screened at this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival on Monday, October 19 at 4:00pm. Tickets are available on the @newportbeachfilmfest website. We look forward to seeing you in Newport Beach where we get to reunite there since our 2026 finalist announcement! ID: Newport Beach Film Festival above a photo of a group of people with and without disabilities at the Lido theater under a marquee that reads “EDFC 2026, FINALIST ANNOUNCEMENT, NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL” the date October 19 @ 4pm overlays the image. #edfc2026 #newportbeachfilmfestival #disabillityfilmchallenge #eastersealssocal

Neurodivergent actor Ana Sharp is starring in the feature Rise And Shine alongside Rachel Bay Jones and Danny Burstein. The cast features a number of disabled actors in pivotal roles including Jordan Walker Ross, Analesa Fisher, and Jordan Nichole Wall. Rise And Shine will screen in AMC Theatres nationwide during National Disability Employment Awareness Month and will be available to stream on Angel soon after. riseandshinefilm.org/ ID: Stills from the film including… 1.Poster art from Rise and Shine film with a young girl with a backpack and her mother two embracing in a doorway to a colorful school theme environment. 2. A young woman talking to a man at a school. 3. Girl dancing with another at a school dance. 4. Close up of Ana sharp wearing glasses. 5. Three girls posing together in prom dresses. #edfcalumni #disabilityrepresentation #disabilityinfilm #riseandshinefilm

Congratulations to EDFC alumni Jennifer Msumba! Her film The Fish Don’t Care When It Rains which won our 2020 Best Film Award has been turned into a feature documentary! She used the Adobe EDFC Grant along with additional grants to complete a feature documentary, which will have its WORLD premiere during the Heartland Film Festival! We can’t wait for the world to see this incredibly impactful and important film! ID: 35th @heartlandfilm October 8-18 above movie poster of @fishdontcarefilm featuring @jennifermsumba looking off into the distance. #edfc2026 #disabilityfilmchallenge #easterseals #filmmaking #autism

Actor Kiersten Kelly (Jurassic Word: Chaos Theory) talks about her experience participating in the film VIVIAN PROBZ and the positive environment of the awards ceremony ID: @kierstenkelly stands in a black dress while getting interviewed at the awards show. B-Roll images from her film and the awards show are interspersed throughout. #EDFCAwards #EDFC2026 #disabilityfilmchallenge #easterseals #awardshow

We’re excited for our 2026 winners and finalists to be screened at this year’s #oscar qualifying Heartland Film Festival on Sunday, October 12 at 7:00pm. Tickets are available on the @heartlandfilm website. Looking forward to seeing you in Indianapolis! ID: image of @heartlandfilm festival logo above a spotlight of Easterseals Disability Film Competition with the date and time #edfc #heartlandfilmfestival #disabillityfilmchallenge #eastersealssocal