Directors & Stars Kristen Abate & Steven Tanenbaum in Attendance for a Post-Film Q&A 

20-something New Yorker Kristen (Kristen Abate) lives with a severe case of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an inflammatory disease that affects the spine, leaving her with chronic pain and a lack of mobility. With dreams of becoming a famous (or at least paid) writer, she currently supports herself as a dogwalker, though she often has trouble picking up after her canine charges and the neighborhood kids make fun of the way she walks. When she gets evicted from her home, fate brings her to a new dogwalking client, Steven (Steven Tanenbaum), who also lives with AS. Recognizing a kindred spirit, Steven takes an interest in her writing, draws her out of her loneliness, and helps her get in touch with greater New York’s disabled and artistic communities.

About Kristen Abate:

Kristen makes her writing/directing debut with this film, which won Slamdance’s Grand Jury Prize (the festival also nominated her performance for its acting award). She is a 2019 recipient of the New York Foundation for the Arts NYC Women in Film Fund. Her short film, SWIPE, was nominated for Most Original Story at the Blackbird Film Festival. The New York City native started acting and dancing with the renowned children’s dance and theater company Loco-Motion. There, she met awardwinning playwright/filmmaker Steven Tanenbaum, with whom she has worked for over twenty years.

About Steven Tanenbaum:

Co-writer/director/producer Steven Tanenbaum was diagnosed at age 11 with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a severe form of crippling arthritis, which accounts for his bent point of view and twenty-year streak of never stepping in dog poop. In 2004, walking home after a performance of his play, “Mono”, he was run over by a truck. Less than eight months later, while still recuperating, he directed, COMING SOON, his first feature film. Tanenbaum started the film/theatre production company Another Urban Riff in 2002. Ssince then, has written and directed eight plays, four short films and three feature-length films.