BRISTOL, Vt. (WCAX) - A movie filmed in Vermont is getting national attention after its premiere at the South by Southwest film festival.
The producers of “Best Summer Ever,” a boy meets girl high school musical, say the film aims to normalize people with disabilities both behind and in front of the camera.
“This is groundbreaking to have this much disability representation in a film,” said Ila Halby, a founder and director at Zeno Mountain Farm in Bristol, where they host camps and retreats. She’s also an executive producer of the film. “Our society doesn’t exactly normally feel that people with disabilities have the same value or the same ability to contribute their talents, and with ‘Best Summer Ever,’ we’re trying to give people a different experience.”
Halby says less than 2% of on-screen roles are disabled roles. “Over half of the cast and crew have disabilities in the movie and more than 50% of the leads in the movie are disabled talent,” she said.
One actor and drummer for the soundtrack is Jeremy Vest, who played the school mascot. “It was such a great role for me because they thought it would be fitting that someone like me would play a mascot for a movie. So, it was very exciting and very cool,” Vest said.
Almost every scene was filmed in Vermont, including shutting down Main Street in Bristol for a dance number, and using Mount Abraham Union High School’s campus as the movie’s high school.
Reporter Olivia Lyons: What is something you hope people will take away from the movie?
Jeremy Vest: I hope that they are inspired and excited and leave the movie theater singing and dancing along to every song.
USA Today ranked the movie number six out of the top ten at South by Southwest. But the filmmakers say it’s important to remember, the focus of the movie is not on disabilities. “The story is just the story. The fun and the romance is just the fun and the romance. And all the people that are staring in it, writing it, producing it are just a better representation of humanity,” Halby said.
There is a virtual premiere party Friday night for ticket-holders. And if you want to watch the movie, it will begin streaming on all platforms on April 27th.
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