FEAW (Film Event Accessibility Working Group) was formed as a collaborative effort by film event representatives seeking to unify and enhance accessibility in film festivals, screenings, and programs across the industry. Through varied experiences and backgrounds, we identified a need to enhance the quality and availability of accessibility in film exhibition to better serve and represent the disability community.
We believe that long-lasting sustainable change is made and strengthened by working together, sharing resources, experience, and vision. We are determined to expand our impact to support any film event organization that wishes to increase their accessibility and inclusion efforts.
Accessibility Commitment
Go beyond ADA compliance and to continuously expand the availability and quality of accessibility at our events.
Seek feedback and consult with members of the disability community on needs, language, and our exhibition conduct.
Partner with prominent decision makers in the film, disability, and arts communities.
Slamdance Panelists 2025
Who we are
Ariel Baska
Cassidy Dimon
Ariel Baska
Access: Horror
A multi-award-winning, multiply Disabled filmmaker, festival director, and speaker on advocacy and accessibility in film. They write, direct, and produce horror and documentary while centering authenticity and accountability.
Ariel created Access:Horror, a film festival and industry summit designed to celebrate disability in
Access: Horror
A multi-award-winning, multiply Disabled filmmaker, festival director, and speaker on advocacy and accessibility in film. They write, direct, and produce horror and documentary while centering authenticity and accountability.
Ariel created Access:Horror, a film festival and industry summit designed to celebrate disability in the genre space. Access:Horror was recently recognized as one of the top 5 most accessible festivals in the world by Forbes.
Ariel’s acclaimed speaking engagements include National Geographic, Lincoln Center, Toronto International Film Festival, and the Berlinale, where they have shared their expertise on disability representation, changing narratives, and improving access.
Laura Benge
Cassidy Dimon
Ariel Baska
Sundance Institute
Laura Benge (she/her) is the Accessibility Manager for the Sundance Institute located in Salt Lake City, UT with her two large dogs. Her degree is in Rehabilitation Studies with an emphasis and certification in Orientation & Mobility. Laura has worked in accessibility for over 10 years and prior to working within fil
Sundance Institute
Laura Benge (she/her) is the Accessibility Manager for the Sundance Institute located in Salt Lake City, UT with her two large dogs. Her degree is in Rehabilitation Studies with an emphasis and certification in Orientation & Mobility. Laura has worked in accessibility for over 10 years and prior to working within film exhibition, she specialized in accommodating state services, employment opportunities, and community events for individuals with dual-sensory loss. She has worked within direct services and on a national level supporting the reformation of state systems through technical assistance, consultation and legislative efforts. Laura is a firm believer in equal opportunity and community engagement which has led her to working with mission-aligned art organizations, like the Sundance Institute.
Cassidy Dimon
Cassidy Dimon
Cassidy Dimon
FWD-Doc
Cassidy Dimon is the executive director of FWD-Doc, a filmmaker and event producer with over 15 years of experience producing film events across the US. She has produced over 200 film screenings, numerous award shows and film festivals, as well as two iterations of the esteemed Getting Real Documentary Film Conference. As a film
FWD-Doc
Cassidy Dimon is the executive director of FWD-Doc, a filmmaker and event producer with over 15 years of experience producing film events across the US. She has produced over 200 film screenings, numerous award shows and film festivals, as well as two iterations of the esteemed Getting Real Documentary Film Conference. As a film professional with unilateral hearing loss, she has worked diligently to bridge the gap between accessibility and film events for the past five years, including producing the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard in conjunction with FWD-Doc and the Film Festival Alliance. Currently, she is the Director of Programs, Events & Accessibility for Full Spectrum Features in Chicago, IL where she oversees community based programming, execution of film events and a newly formed accessibility department championing access for both events and film production.
Kebo Drew
Juliana Goode
Cassidy Dimon
QWOCMAP
Kebo Drew (she/her/glitter femme) is the Managing Director responsible for strategic capacity, organizational development & data practice, resource mobilization, and communications. She also responsible for QWOCMAP’s intentional practices to create safety, welcome, and belonging. This includes disability justice as well as accessi
QWOCMAP
Kebo Drew (she/her/glitter femme) is the Managing Director responsible for strategic capacity, organizational development & data practice, resource mobilization, and communications. She also responsible for QWOCMAP’s intentional practices to create safety, welcome, and belonging. This includes disability justice as well as accessibility for the International Queer Women of Color Film Festival. She serves as Executive Producer for QWOCMAP Productions, and has Co-Produced films including Madeleine Lim’s feature documentary Jewelle: A Just Vision, which has screened at BFI, Frameline, and is currently touring the world with screenings across the U.S. and Europe. Her mixed-genre short Ain’t I A Woman? has screened at Langston Hughes African American Film Festival and Translations: the Seattle Transgender Film Festival among others. She is a writer and dancer who has toured the U.S., Latin America, and Europe.
Juliana Goode
Juliana Goode
Juliana Goode
New Orleans Film Society
Yaara Kedem
Juliana Goode
Juliana Goode
Freelance Film Event Accessibility Advisor
Yaara is a film event accessibility consultant, curator, and producer with passion towards storytelling and social change through film, education, and accessibility. She has served as International Director leading the ReelAbilities Film Festival network of 20+ festivals and events focusing on fil
Freelance Film Event Accessibility Advisor
Yaara is a film event accessibility consultant, curator, and producer with passion towards storytelling and social change through film, education, and accessibility. She has served as International Director leading the ReelAbilities Film Festival network of 20+ festivals and events focusing on film and disability, produced multiple annual film festivals and programs as Associate Director of the JCC Manhattan Film Department, and has led international tours and educational programs for neurodivergent children and teens working as Travel Director and Counselor at Summit Camp. Yaara is now consulting to film festivals and event organizers on improving inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities in content, spaces, and outreach initiatives.
Matt Lauterbach
Matt Lauterbach
Matt Lauterbach
Full Spectrum Features
Matt Lauterbach is a filmmaker, access artist, and founder of All Senses Go. He works as the Associate Director of Accessibility at Full Spectrum Features, where he oversees the creation of subtitles, captions, and audio descriptions that serve the creators’ vision and enable more inclusive cinematic experiences. As
Full Spectrum Features
Matt Lauterbach is a filmmaker, access artist, and founder of All Senses Go. He works as the Associate Director of Accessibility at Full Spectrum Features, where he oversees the creation of subtitles, captions, and audio descriptions that serve the creators’ vision and enable more inclusive cinematic experiences. As a documentary film editor, Matt has contributed to over a dozen documentaries, including his most recent credit, For the Left Hand (2021). He is an Adjunct Faculty member in the School of Cinematic Arts at DePaul University in Chicago, where he recently launched one of the nation’s only courses in Accessible Cinema.
Jordan Menashe
Matt Lauterbach
Matt Lauterbach
SFFilm
Masashi Niwano
Matt Lauterbach
Masashi Niwano
SFFilm
Since 2021, Masashi Niwano has been the Director of Artist Development at SFFILM. He focuses his time on supporting global filmmakers through a slate of grants, artist support and fellowships. For over a decade, Masashi Niwano was the Festival & Exhibitions Director at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the US’s largest me
SFFilm
Since 2021, Masashi Niwano has been the Director of Artist Development at SFFILM. He focuses his time on supporting global filmmakers through a slate of grants, artist support and fellowships. For over a decade, Masashi Niwano was the Festival & Exhibitions Director at the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the US’s largest media arts organization that amplifies Asian and Asian American storytelling. Prior to his time with CAAM, he was the Executive Director of the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF). He is a Bay Area native who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Film Production from San Francisco State University. Masashi has been a jury member or panelist at dozens of prestigious festivals including Sundance Institute, The Gotham (formerly IFP), International Development Association (IDA), New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF) and FRAMELINE LGBTQ+ Film Festival. He has also participated in various industry conversations with leading media entities including AT&T, XFINITY, WarnerMedia, and HBO. He is an active advisory board member for Firelight Media’s William Greaves Fund. Masashi’s life mission is to support the diverse media-making community, especially filmmakers from historically under-served communities.
Kaitlyn Ryan
Isaac Zablocki
Masashi Niwano
CAFILM / Freelance
Kaitlyn Ryan (she|her) has worked in festival operations for the past 9 years with a current focus at the 9th St. Film Office in San Francisco for Frameline, JFI, and CAAM. Her focus is in Festival Operations, with micro focuses in Box Office and Theater Operations, and in the last two years, she has taken a personal
CAFILM / Freelance
Kaitlyn Ryan (she|her) has worked in festival operations for the past 9 years with a current focus at the 9th St. Film Office in San Francisco for Frameline, JFI, and CAAM. Her focus is in Festival Operations, with micro focuses in Box Office and Theater Operations, and in the last two years, she has taken a personal initiative in growing accessibility within her contracts and produced an Accessibility in Exhibition Panel at the 2022 and 2023 Mill Valley Film Festival.
Isaac Zablocki
Isaac Zablocki
Isaac Zablocki
ReelAbilities Film Festival
Isaac Zablocki is the Director of Film Programs at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan with a rich background in multiple aspects of the film industry. After graduating from Columbia University's film school, he worked at Miramax Films and later produced and directed feature films while also developing education
ReelAbilities Film Festival
Isaac Zablocki is the Director of Film Programs at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan with a rich background in multiple aspects of the film industry. After graduating from Columbia University's film school, he worked at Miramax Films and later produced and directed feature films while also developing educational programs for the Department of Education. He has been instrumental in shaping the film landscape at JCC Manhattan, including the establishment of the Israel Film Center and the annual programming of several film festivals such as the Other Israel Film Festival, which highlights the stories of Arab and underrepresented populations in Israel, and the ReelAbilities Film Festival, the largest festival in the world showcasing films by and about people with disabilities.