'making the invisible visible:' Life Imitates Art at The 8th Annual Sprout Film Festival

NEW YORK, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 8th Annual Sprout Film Festival invites the general public to experience a film festival which showcases the lives, performances, and accomplishments of people with developmental disabilities. Held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art over the weekend of April 30th-May 2nd, 2010 the Sprout Film Festival will present 32 films from 11 countries in 16 programs along with a photo exhibit by famous photographer Mary Ellen Mark called  "Extraordinary Child."

The slogan "making the invisible visible" has been the goal for the festival since it first began in 2003. Sprout is bringing awareness to the unseen, unheard population of people with developmental disabilities including Autism, Down Syndrome and Mental Retardation. Aiming to reinforce accurate portrayals of people with developmental disabilities, films selected for the festival are entertaining, memorable and enlightening. The films focus on real life challenges and issues ranging from relationships, marriage, self-esteem, self-advocacy through sexual desires and general acceptance to fit in a world where persons are often treated as second class citizens.

In addition to our annual festival in NYC, the festival also tours the country screening an ever-growing selection of films to areas throughout the US. www.sprouttouringfilmfestival.org

Details

8th Annual Sprout Film Festival

Friday, April 30th-May 2nd, 2010

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ruth and Harold D. New Uris Center for Education

1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

Entrance at 81^st street

For tickets and schedule of films, please visit www.sproutfilmfestival.org

About the Sprout Film Festival

Founded in 2003, The Sprout Film Festival mission is to reinforce accurate portrayals of people with developmental disabilities and expose the general public to important issues facing this population. The goal is an enjoyable and enlightening experience that will help breakdown stereotypes, promote greater acceptance of differences and awareness of similarities.  www.sproutfilmfestival.org

About Sprout

Sprout is a NYC-based non-profit dedicated to bringing innovative programming to people with developmental disabilities founded in 1979. Since 1994, Sprout has been making videos related to field of developmental disabilities and has witnessed the myriad benefits these videos have for this population and the general public.  www.gosprout.org

SOURCE Sprout Film Festival