DGA Monthly

N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 I 2 3 See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and video, where available, online at www.dga.org. DGA Events Roundup "I didn't know Judy Heumann's story and I kind of can't believe that I didn't. It feels like something we should learn about in school as a part of our civil rights history," said Director Siân Heder about the making of her new feature, Being Heumann. "I was blown away by Judy as a character — she was so funny and self-possessed; there's a scene in the movie where she's talking about lasagna in the cafeteria like she's conducting a senate meeting. When I read about the 504 protests (in her book) I was like, 'This is a heist movie!' and I reached out to her." On September 19, DGA members gathered at the Guild's Los Angeles Theater for the Disability Committee's event, Honoring a Trailblazer: A Preview Screening of Director Siân Heder's Being Heumann. Presented in partnership with Apple Original Films, the event featured an exclusive advance screening of the film, followed by a discussion about its making Heder and the film's co-writer, Rebekah Taussig, moderated by DGA Disability Committee Co-Chair Ashley Eakin. Following a welcome from DGA Past President Lesli Linka Glatter, who spoke about the creation of the Disability Committee, Committee Co-Chair Eakin and Alternate Co-Chair Greg Bjorkman shared some of their struggles to make their way in the industry, despite their disabilities; spoke about the Committee's mission to examine a broad range of issues DGA members with disabilities face on sets; and introduced the Committee's new Accessibility Survey, which is designed to gather more information and perspectives about what DGA members need on set. The gathering also heard from Disability Committee co-founders, Directors Jenni Gold, Nandi Bowe and Rachel Raimist, who all individually shared personal stories of resilience and achievement as a disabled member in the entertainment industry, before introducing the screening of Heder's film. Being Heumann tells the true story of Judy Heumann, a young disabled woman who challenged discrimination in education and employment. In 1977, after U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Joseph Califano refused to sign meaningful regulations for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 — the first U.S. federal civil rights protection for people with disabilities — Heumann and a scrappy coalition of outsiders seized the federal building in San Francisco, sparking what became the longest occupation of a federal building in American history as hundreds spontaneously took over government offices and refused to leave until the bureaucrats took action. Following the screening, during a conversation moderated by Eakin, Heder and the film's co-writer, Rebekah Taussig, discussed the making of the film that featured 12 disabled leads and at times 40 cast members with disabilities on set. "I think there's something that was revealed on this movie in a very big way," said Heder. "How do you take care of people's bodies while you make a movie — because we don't do that very well in this industry. This idea that what disabled bodies are asking for is not something we all need to be asking for is a problem." "The representation of disability that I had growing up was, at best, not there or not recognizable and at worst problematic," noted Taussig. "It is hard to explain what not seeing your stories reflected back onto you does to a person — I felt like I was not a participant in the world. Understanding the power of storytelling is something a little bit in my bones. When I first started writing a lot of [my] work was this attempt to insist to the world that I was real and that my stories were a part of this world and that I existed. Working on this film felt like a chance to reflect the world back as it is." Photos: 1. Director Siân Heder discusses the making of her new feature Being Heumann. 2. DGA Past President Lesli Linka Glatter welcomes the attendees. 3-4. Disability Committee Co-Chair Ashley Eakin and Alternate Co-Chair Greg Bjorkman speak about the mission of the Committee. 5-7. Disability Committee co-founders, Directors Jenni Gold, Nandi Bowe and Rachel Raimist share personal stories of their experiences as disabled members in the entertainment industry. 8. (L-R) Being Heumann's co-writer Rebekah Taussig, Director Siân Heder and Disability Committee Chair Ashley Eakin (moderator) discuss the making of the film. 9. Audience members learn about the making of Director Siân Heder's Being Heumann during the Disability Committee's event. 10-11. Heder chats with attendees following the event. Honoring a Trailblazer: A Preview Screening of Director Siân Heder's Being Heumann A Disability Committee Event 4 2 photos by Elisa Haber 1 3 7 5 6 8 11 10 9

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