Tobias Forrest, an actor with a disability, a C5 quadriplegic, works with filmmaker Randall Miller to right a wrong in Hollywood as they discuss the issues with the folks from Ability Entertainment, Ability Jobs and Ability Magazine in twitter spaces AMA.Miller and Forrest will discuss bias against PWD actors portrayed on film in AMA sponsored by Ability Magazine, Ability Entertainment.
Hollywood - March 21st, 2023 - Randall Miller (writer/director of Sundance hits Bottle Shock and Marilyn Hotchkiss as well as Coffee Wars which is set for release March 21st) had followed Tobias’ career as an actor from the first role he gave Tobias as an extra in his film Nobel Son starring Alan Rickman. He followed him through the ups and downs to be taken seriously as an actor in Hollywood. It really upset Randall, so he decided to do something about. Working closely with Tobias he crafted the perfect role that showcases his situation. Supercrip is a comedy with serious underpinnings that tells a “what if story.” A story that could very well come true. It is the story of a PWD (person with a disability) who while working his “waitressing job” as an Uber driver, picks up a self-centered movie star. When the movie star goes up for the Academy Award role of a lifetime, he hires Toby (without telling Toby) to train him on how best to be disabled. Ultimately it is Toby, a truly disabled person, and the movie star who compete for the same role.
"Randy has written a great script—it’s funny and heartwarming and could change the way actors in my position are cast," says Tobias Forrest (How To Get Away With Murder, Queen Sugar and Randall’s newest film Coffee Wars).
“We have teamed with Chet, Lia and George of the Abilities group,” adds Randall Miller. “The issue of jobs for PWDs is something that deserves further discussion.”
"Approximately 26% of the population has some form of disability," says Tobias Forrest "while fewer than 1% of movie and TV roles are given to PWDs. If you stop to think about it, 80% of the public will eventually become part of the disabled community, so isn’t about time they were represented correctly in Hollywood?”
To raise money for the endeavour, the team has launched a ground-breaking line of digital collectibles to help fund the Supercrip feature film and to raise awareness about the lack of Hollywood roles for actors and actresses with disabilities. It is a radical idea, but it just might work. The team has partnered with MacNerd and MacGuyver Tech to bring the idea to fruition.
"I’m really busy with MacNerd and MacGuyver Tech, but when I heard the idea, I dropped everything. It really spoke to me,” adds co-founder in the NFT project Steve MacKeon, CEO of MacNerd and MacGuyver Tech. “I am all about giving back. And then, when I saw the art and heard what they were doing, I was all in.”
The technique and funding channel used to raise the financing for this film uses the latest of the new blockchain technologies to emerge, the NFT or Non-Fungible Token. In layman’s terms, a digital collectible that allows the buyer certain ownership rights to an image or product.
These digital collectibles are making a bold statement to Hollywood, depicting parody versions of famous movie characters. Instead of Captain America, there’s Capt. America Tire. Instead of Hannibal Lecter, there's Hannibal Lectric. Instead of Forrest Gump, there’s Forrest Gimp. Each character in the collection bases its likeness on Supercrip's Tobias Forrest. The project was meant to shake things up, make people question it.
The collection has three tiers: Super-Powered, Stand Alone, and Franchise. Additionally, there are plans for two additional seasons of Supercrip characters, a racing game, and a Supercrip Coin. Along with Tobias Forrest, Randall Miller, Steve MacKeon, there is illustrator/filmmaker Michael Davis (writer/director Shoot ‘Em Up and 8 Days A Week), there’s Jody Savin, the producer of Supercrip the film (writer/producer Bottle Shock, Nobel Son, Marilyn Hotchkiss, and CBGB).
In addition to fundraising for the film, the digital collectible sales will support donations to organizations and non-profits within the disability space. These companies and foundations include ABILITYMagazine, Fodac, Ralph's Riders, Triumph Foundation, CinemAbility Foundation, abilityEntertainment, RespectAbility, Artists For Trauma, and Permobil.
Technology Consultancy MacNerd is minting and facilitating the NFT sale. The NFTs have varying levels of rarity and special details; the first run will be 5501 individually handcrafted GIFs digitally rendered by the Consultancy.
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