Capitol Theatre Hosts Film Festival on Saturday

Editor's note: The following information comes from a release by the Boston Jewish Film Festival.

Arlington’s on Saturday will host a part of the first REELAbilitiesBoston Film Festival, an event highlighting films about people with disabilities.

"We are excited to be part of the inaugural REELAbilitiesBoston Film Festival," said Jaymie Saks, executive director of the Boston Jewish Film Festival, which is presenting this weekend's event. "This will enable the public to see films about the lives, stories and art of people with disabilities from around the world.”

In Arlington, the festival opens with “War Eagle,” from Arkansas, which is based on a true story. The film tells the story of Enoch Cass (Luke Grimes, TV’s “Brothers and Sisters”), a star pitcher with a debilitating stutter who gets a chance for a college scholarship—his ticket out of his small-town home.

But that may mean leaving behind his lifelong best friend, “Wheels,” who is wheelchair-bound with cerebral palsy.

The movie will be screened on Saturday, Feb. 4, 4-7 p.m., at the Capitol Theatre. Films are $10 general admission, $9 for seniors, students and members of the MFA, Coolidge Corner Theatre and WGBH and $6 for groups of at least 10 people. Those with disabilities can attend for free.

“REELAbilitiesBoston is a unique experience for us because the films are not necessarily Jewish in content,” Saks said in a statement. “Disabilities are universal. They affect people in all communities. We want to unite the entire community around this issue through film.”

The Boston Jewish Film Festival is a nonprofit that presents the best contemporary films from around the world on Jewish themes at its annual November Festival and throughout the year. Through features, shorts, documentaries and conversations with visiting artists, the festival explores Jewish identity, the current Jewish experience, and the richness of Jewish culture in relation to a diverse modern world.

About the other movies

Shooting Beauty—Sunday, Feb. 5, noon, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Alfond Auditorium). Local photographer Courtney Bent discovers a hidden world of beauty in people living with cerebral palsy at a community program in Watertown. When Bent begins inventing cameras her new friends can use, an unforgettable story unfolds about living with a disability in this documentary.  Hopes run high to show the photos in a gallery. Will anyone want to host it and would anyone bother to come? Directed by George Kachadorian, 62 minutes. Closed captioned. Kachadorian, Bent and film subject Tony Knight will appear after the film.

Snow Cake—Sunday, Feb. 5, 2:30 pm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Alfond Auditorium). Alex (Alan Rickman of Harry Potter), an ex-con on a road trip, picks up Vivienne, an eccentric hitchhiker. After Vivienne dies in a car accident, Alex visits her mother (Sigourney Weaver), a woman with high-functioning autism, to tell her the news. Directed by Marc Evans, 112 minutes.

Warrior Champions—Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7 pm, West Newton Cinema. Four Iraq War veterans turn their nightmares into Olympic dreams in this documentary. After losing limbs and suffering paralysis fighting for their country, they set out to do what many thought impossible in the sports world. Directed by Brent Renaud and Craig Renaud, 80 minutes. Closed captioned. U.S. Paralympian Chris Devlin-Young will speak after the film.

Anita—Wednesday, Feb. 8, 7 pm, West Newton Cinema. Anita Feldman (an extraordinary debut by Alejandra Manzo), who has Down Syndrome, helps run her mother’s (Oscar nominee Norma Aleandro) small store in their Buenos Aires neighborhood. That all changes when a bomb explodes outside the Jewish community center, killing and injuring hundreds. Anita wanders the city for days – trusting and deeply affecting everyone she meets. Presented at 2010 Boston Jewish Film Festival. Directed by Marcos Carnevale, 104 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles.

REELAbilitiesBoston presenting partners are J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation, Ruderman Family Foundation, the Cambridge Trust Co., the Saul Schottenstein Foundation B and the Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation.