Presented by VTIFF & Vermont PBS
Host Sponsor: Main Street Landing
Director by Dan Habib | Produced by Academy Award Winning Actor Chris Cooper
70 mins | Documentary
Followed by Q&A moderated by Eric Ford, Director of Programming at VT PBS, with Habib, Cooper and Marianne Leone
Stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities – Micah, Naieer, and Naomie – who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce. Academy Award-winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextualizes the lives of these central characters through the emotional personal story of his son Jesse, as the film unpacks the shameful and ongoing track record of intelligence testing in the U.S. Intelligent Lives challenges what it means to be intelligent, and points to a future in which people of all abilities can fully participate in higher education, meaningful employment, and intimate relationships
*** Sunday Best screenings are FREE with a suggested donation of $5. We urge you to book in advance.
Dan Habib, Producer/Director/Cinematographer Dan Habib is the creator of the award-winning documentary films Including Samuel, Who Cares About Kelsey?, Mr. Connolly Has ALS (an IDA nominee for Best Short), Intelligent Lives, and many other films on disability issues. Habib’s films have been featured in dozens of film festivals, broadcast internationally, nominated for Emmy awards and translated into 17 languages for worldwide distribution. Habib is a filmmaker at the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability and gave a widely viewed TEDx talk, “Disabling Segregation.” He received the Champion of Human and Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association, and the Justice for All Grassroots Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. In 2014, Habib was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Habib and his wife, Betsy, live in Concord, NH, with their sons Isaiah, 21, and Samuel, 18. Samuel has cerebral palsy and was the subject of Habib’s first film Including Samuel.
Chris Cooper, Narrator/Executive Producer Chris Cooper won the 2003 Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in Adaptation. He has been an actor on stage, screen, and television for three decades, with notable roles in Lone Star, American Beauty, Seabiscuit, The Bourne Identity, October Sky, August Osage County, Lonesome Dove, and dozens of other films. In 1987, Cooper and his wife Marianne Leone had their son Jesse, who had cerebral palsy and epilepsy. They became advocates for inclusive education, and Jesse became a high school honor student. In 2005, Jesse died suddenly from a seizure at age 17. Cooper worked tirelessly donating his time working on the film.
Marianne Leone, Executive Producer Marianne Leone is an actress who appeared in The Sopranos, a screenwriter, an essayist published in The Boston Globe, and author of the 2010 book, Jesse: A Mother’s Story. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, actor Chris Cooper, and two rescue dogs. The Jesse Cooper Foundation funds inclusion and adapted sports for children with special needs, and supports disabled orphans in Romania.