12th Annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge - Finalists & Winner Announcements!

The 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, celebrating 12 years of leadership in advocating for authentic storytelling and casting in the entertainment industry, has wrapped! The finalists' announcement will be streamed live on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET, and the winners will be announced at a live Award Ceremony on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET.

FINALIST ANNOUNCEMENT:
Find out who the finalists are for the 12th Annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge!

Announcement and screenings for the #thrillerandsuspense finalists streaming live on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET.

Tune in LIVE on the Disability Film Challenge YouTube channel! 

To view the 2025 EDFC Films, click here.

AWARDS CEREMONY:
Find out who the winners are during the 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Awards Ceremony livestream on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET from Sony Pictures!

EDFC Award Show: Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7 p.m. PT / 10 p.m. ET

Tune in LIVE on the Disability Film Challenge YouTube channel! 

To view the 2025 EDFC Films, click here.

The 2025 Film Challenge was judged by a diverse group of influential entertainment industry talent, including: Hollyshorts Film Festival Managing Director Nicole Castro; director Kat Coiro (She Hulk, Dead to Me, Marry Me); Head of Inclusive Content for Amazon MGM Studios & Prime Video Jerome Core; director and activist Jenni Gold (CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion); Golden Globes Executive Vice President Tim Gray; The Hollywood Reporter Contributing Editor Stacey Wilson Hunt; disability inclusion expert and LaVant Consulting Founder Andraéa LaVant;  filmmaker and activist Jim LeBrecht (Crip Cramp, Battlefield Earth, Pitch Black); model and actress Jillian Mercado (The L Word: Generation Q); IMDb Founder & Executive Chair Col Needham; three-time Emmy-nominated journalist Allison Norlian; actor and Little People of America President Mark Povinelli; journalist Richard Propes (The Independent Critic); journalist Cara Reedy (CNN, NPR, The Guardian); President, African-American Film Critics Association President Gil Robertson; actor, dancer and Deaf advocate Shaheem Sanchez (Sound of Metal); journalist Lindzi Scharf (Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, WWD); producer and entertainment executive Annalisa Shoemaker; Film Independent Nominations Director Jennifer Wilson; actor and comedian Danny Woodburn (Mirror Mirror, Jingle All the Way, Seinfeld). Others to be announced.

For rules, guidelines and additional list of prizes, go to www.disabilityfilmchallenge.com.

About the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge:
As someone with a disability, actor, comedian and producer Nic Novicki launched the Disability Film Challenge in 2013 in response to the under-representation of talent with disabilities both in front of and behind the camera. Novicki created the challenge to give aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their work and provide them with meaningful exposure. In 2017, Novicki joined forces with Easterseals Southern California — the nation’s leading nonprofit supporting people and families with disabilities — to expand the event, now known as the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. Learn more at www.disabilityfilmchallenge.com.

About Easterseals Southern California:
Easterseals makes a lasting difference each day by providing essential disability and community services to children, adults and their families. For more than 100 years, they've worked tirelessly with their partners to enhance the quality of life and expand local access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities. Easterseals Southern California, or the ESSC, provides essential services and on-the-ground support to more than 25,000 people every year, from early childhood programs for the critical first five years, to autism services, daily and independent living services for adults, employment programs and more. Its public education, policy and advocacy initiatives positively shape perceptions and address the urgent and evolving needs of the one in four Americans with disabilities today. Learn more at https://www.easterseals.com/southerncal.

Photo: Participants celebrate onstage at the 2024 EDFC Award Ceremony on May 9, 2024, at Sony Pictures Studios in Los Angeles.