The Resource Center and Filling the Gap, Inc., will pair two of their popular events when the Sprout Film Festival and Step Up for Autism take place Wednesday, September 25, at The Reg Lenna Center for the Arts on Third Street in Jamestown.

The Sprout Film Festival features 11 short films that celebrate the diverse lives and creativity of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The films seek to challenge assumptions and break down stereotypes about people with disabling conditions.

Sprout is a traveling film festival, and each host community selects the films that will be screened locally.  People can view the festival’s trailer at https://resourcecenter.org/sprout/ to get a feel for some of this year’s films. The movies will begin at 7:00 p.m. The films have a combined running time of about 75 minutes. There will not be an intermission.

This is the eighth time The Resource Center has brought the Sprout Film Festival to Chautauqua County.  Admission to the film festival is free thanks to a grant from Filling the Gap, which works with The Resource Center to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Chautauqua County.

The theater doors will open at 6:00, giving festival-goers time to try to win items in a prize drawing and a sweets auction that are being put on by Step Up for Autism. The prize drawing features donated gift baskets, while the sweets auction features cakes, pies and other treats donated by local businesses.

(Please note that there will not be an autism awareness walk as part of our Step Up for Autism activities this year. However, we’re pleased to share that our longtime supporter Dory Matwijkow will hold her fifth annual Step Up for Autism walk October 5. Click here to read more about Dory’s event, which benefits The Resource Center and Filling the Gap.)

Officials from The Resource Center and Filling the Gap are looking forward to presenting the Sprout Film Festival and Step Up for Autism on the same evening again this year.

“I am excited to have these two great events become one,” said The Resource Center’s Kevin Anderson, one of the film festival’s lead organizers. “Sprout has always been a wonderful evening where the greater Jamestown community comes together to enjoy entertaining and enlightening films. With the addition of Step Up for Autism events, we are providing the opportunity for people to mingle before the films and help raise funds for important programs that support individuals on the spectrum.”

“Bringing together the Sprout Film Festival and Step Up for Autism gives us one action-packed event,” said Victoria Bardo, development and event manager for Filling the Gap. “Enjoy the movies and don’t forget to participate in our raffles and sweets auction.  You will come out of this event with the best feeling and a new perspective on the cherished lives of persons with different abilities.”

The major sponsor of this year’s Step Up for Autism activities is Southern Chautauqua Federal Credit Union. Money raised through Step Up for Autism will stay in Chautauqua County to support people on the autism spectrum and others with developmental disabilities.

For more information about the Sprout Film Festival, phone Anderson at 716-483-2344. For questions about Step Up for Autism, phone Bardo at 716-661-1477.

People wishing to make a donation in support of Step Up for Autism, or to help bring Sprout to our community again next year, may do so by visiting https://fillingthegap.net/donate. People also can mail a check to Filling the Gap, 92 Fairmount Avenue, Jamestown, NY, 14701; make the check payable to Filling the Gap and write either “Sprout” or “Step Up for Autism” on the memo line.