Being Michelle

Being Michelle

Being Michelle (dir. Atin Mehra) follows the astonishing journey of a deaf and disabled woman who survived incarceration and abuse under unimaginable circumstances by a system that refused to accommodate her needs as a deaf person with autism. Michelle’s trajectory changed when she met Kim Law, a blind volunteer life coach who teaches classes to people in prison. Today, outside of prison, Kim and Michelle are doing the difficult work of unraveling Michelle’s history, of telling the story of Michelle’s traumatic childhood and her adverse experiences in the criminal justice system. With the support of Kim, Michelle realizes her own voice and strength. Throughout the film Michelle’s artwork provides her own depiction of the trauma she survived as well as a means to her recovery. Ultimately, BEING MICHELLE is a story of redemption. It is about the bonds between women committed to thriving in a broken system, who are forging a path to healing that can only come through facing the truth and communicating it, together.

Following the virtual screening, we’re thrilled to be joined by moderator Kelly Fritsch and panelists Delbert Whetter, Dr. Mei Kennedy, Gabriel Lomas, and Mae Thornton Mehra for this important pre-recorded conversation discussing the film and exploring the complexities of disability and incarceration.

ACCESSIBILITY: The recording will feature ASL interpretation and captions, and be available for 72 hours. The film will be available with captions and audio description.

The ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto 2023 is presented by the Miles Nadal JCC, with the generous support of Toronto Arts Council, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, Canada Media Fund, Telefilm, the City of Toronto’s Cultural Festivals Funding Program, and AMI.

Community Partners: Thriving Roots Initiative, JAYU