Patrice: The Movie by Ted Passon (USA, 2024, 101 minutes)

preceded by How Sweet the Sound by David Block (USA, 2023, 11 minutes)

A feature documentary romantic comedy from award-winning filmmaker, Ted Passon, about the next phase of marriage equality – disability.

Patrice has finally found the love of her life, Garry, who is also disabled. They want nothing more than to get married, but if they do - or even if they just move in together - the government benefits they need to survive would be cut. Despite the scrutiny they’re under, they decide to plan a commitment ceremony that could risk their entire future.

Patrice’s present-day battles are informed by her past. The film interweaves vérité scenes with recreated scenes from her past life imbued with her art and her uniquely tragicomic joie de vivre - Patrice designed the sets and co-wrote the scripts. Starring a cast of children, with Patrice as the only adult playing herself at every age, we see the struggles Patrice endured to get the house, the job, and the life that she’s now fighting to keep.

Ted Passon is an award-winning director, writer, producer, and video artist. He created and directed the critically acclaimed docuseries Philly D.A., along with co-director Yoni Brook and producer Nicole Salazar. He is a co-founder of All Ages Productions, a full-service film and video production company, and a board member of the Blackstar Film Festival.

Preceded by David Block’s, How Sweet the Sound, the short documentary focuses on the blind African American street singer, John Sutton.

Watch the trailer here.