By Steffen Klenk
It is no secret that filmmaking is on the rise in the state of New Jersey. Last week, news had circulated that a Hallmark Christmas movie was being filmed in Ocean City and Longport. Several productions companies have their eyes on the South Jersey area, with TV and production facilities coming to Vineland. And while major motion picture companies like Lionsgate and Netflix are set to put New Jersey on the map, local filmmakers are showcasing their own unique abilities, including actress Melanie Waldman.
After graduating with a double major in theater and journalism, Waldman moved to Orlando, Florida, when diagnosed shortly thereafter with heparin induced thrombocytopenia, or HIT, a rare immune complication which resulted in the loss of one of her arms. She is part of a small but tight-knit group of disabled talent in the TV and film industry.
Waldman recently put her directorial and writing skills to the test in a recently released short film called Reconnecting. The film, running just over 5 minutes in length, stars Melanie Waldman, Bethany Aline and Tristan Basille and is part of this year’s Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
With the assistance of videographer Jon Bradley, Reconnecting was filmed entirely within six days throughout the Philadelphia area, including Atlantic City, Margate, Longport, Hammonton, and Bridgeton. With the theme of romance in this year’s film challenge, Waldman describes her storytelling process that focuses on love, loss, and grief. “A friend of mine posted something about how there’s no one definition of love or romance, and what that brought up for me, personally, was deep platonic love.”
The short film is dedicated to two of Waldman’s friends, Crystal Schaefer, and Kelsey Flanigan, both of whom lost their battles to cancer. Waldman says that news of their passings helped her to be open to more love. “It’s been really cool to take a look at my own life and channel that into a story.”
The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge was launched by actor, comedian, and producer Nic Novicki. Now in its 10th year, the program seeks to recognize and represent talent with disabilities both in front of and behind the camera. Aspiring filmmakers are given an opportunity to showcase their craft with meaningful exposure, with each short telling unique stories that showcase disabilities in its many forms.
Studies released by the Ruderman Family Foundation last year found that only 5% of the disability population is represented on-screen. During the 2019 Oscars, only two of the 61 nominees and 27 winners that played disabled characters had some form of a disability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 61 million people, or ¼ of all U.S. residents, have a disability, making it the largest minority population in the country.
In 2017, Waldman got her big break working alongside Mark Duplass on the hit Amazon series Goliath, and has since appeared in The Retaliators, Clerks III, the locally filmed Halle Berry movie Bruised, and the short film ILY, winner of the Best Awareness Campaign in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
Additionally, she has several producer credits to her name, including Executive Producer for another short film titled Couples Therapy. Waldman currently serves as acting coach for the Rising Stars Program at Weist-Barron-Ryan Acting Workshops and Casting and is the host of a new podcast called Little Miss Representation. The first episode is set to debut this April through Amplitude magazine.
Reconnecting is now available to watch via YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYjYWk3taeQ.
With the work of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, aspiring actors, directors, and filmmakers are being put in the spotlight. Since its launch in 2013, more than 500 short films were submitted from almost every state and countries around the globe, with submissions from Canada, England, Egypt, Finland, India, Timor Leste, and The Netherlands. To learn more about all the films in this year’s challenge, go to disabilityfilmchallenge.com.
