April 9, 2025 – Shine Global is proud to announce that filmmaker Laurie J. Gardiner has been awarded the Children’s Resilience in Disability Stories Award at ReelAbilities 2025 for her script proposal Remedial. This prestigious award, which includes a $2,500 prize, recognizes films that highlight the resilience and strength of children with disabilities.

Gardiner, whose short film Remedial was previously screened at ReelAbilities International, is now adapting the story into a feature-length film. The script explores the impact of PTSD on children.

Remedial follows Will, a young boy struggling in the aftermath of his father’s accident. At his new school, Will’s behavior spirals, plagued by memories of the accident and a crippling fear of drowning. While his mother battles her own grief, she fails to see Will’s PTSD. As his grip on reality slips, Will’s frantic need to preserve his father’s memory leads to violent outbursts, leaving his teacher to wrongly diagnose him with ADHD.

“Remedial is a deeply moving story that sheds light on childhood trauma and its often hidden impact,” said Shine Global’s Co-CEO and Creative Director Alexandra Blaney. “Laurie J. Gardiner’s sensitive storytelling illustrates an often-overlooked issue, ensuring that children’s mental health needs are not only acknowledged but felt.”

Since its founding in 2007, ReelAbilities Film Festival has championed the stories and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. As the nation’s premier festival dedicated to disability representation, ReelAbilities continues to set the standard for accessibility and inclusion in film.

“We are honored to once again partner with Shine Global in recognizing powerful storytelling at the intersection of disability and children’s resilience,” said Isaac Zablocki, director and co-founder of ReelAbilities. “Remedial exemplifies the impact of cinema in fostering understanding and empathy, and we are excited to support its journey to the big screen.”

Shine Global remains committed to elevating children’s voices and creating lasting impact through storytelling. The organization looks forward to celebrating Remedial and the important conversations it will spark about PTSD, mental health, and resilience.

Shine Global’s annual Resilience Awards honor exceptional films that center around the resilience of children and further the organization’s mission of improving children’s lives by harnessing the power of storytelling. Past winners include the feature documentaries Daughters (2024, Directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae), Name Me Lawand (2023, Directed by Edward Lovelace) which was also awarded the ReelAbilities Accessibility Award at Shine Global’s 2023 events, Lift (2022, Directed by David Petersen), Los Frikis (2024, written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz) in partnership with Nantucket Film Festival, the short documentary Ayenda (2023, directed by Marie Margolius) and the live action short Unibrow (2024, directed by Nedda Sarshar) in partnership with Heartland Film’s Indy Shorts International Film Festival, and the animated children’s films Savages (2024 directed by Claude Barras) and Dounia – The Great White North (2024, directed by Marya Zarif and André Kadi) in partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival.  

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About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since our founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance, and an Academy Award®-nomination for Anuja. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, and Comedy Against the Odds.

About ReelAbilities

ReelAbilities celebrates disability, inclusion and accessibility through wide-ranging international films, riveting conversations, professional workshops and other forms of visual and performing arts.
Founded in NY in 2007, ReelAbilities presents the largest festival in the world dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. With a flagship festival in New York, affiliate festivals throughout North America, an online streaming platform, industry summit, educational programs and more, ReelAbilities brings the community together to explore, discuss, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of our shared human experience, and is a leader in setting the highest standards of accessibility and inclusion in the film industry.

About ReelAbilities Industry Summit
DISABILITY INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN FILM + PERFORMING ARTS

Hosted in partnership with the NYC Mayor’s Office for Media and Entertainment, Reelabilities´ industry Summit gathers industry professionals to explore and discuss topics of accessibility, inclusion and representation in all aspects of the film and performing arts industries, and explore beyond the basics into progressive best practices.
Industry leaders, including Disabled creatives, share knowledge and experience providing participants with the tools to elevate accessibility and open pathways to deeper inclusion.  https://reelabilities.org/