SAN FRANCISCO—NakedSword has just added another indie short film to the NakedSword Film Works library, which is already approaching 2 dozen indie shorts and features.
The emotionally powerful and moving film Hole is director Martin Edralin's heavily acclaimed 15-minute short film that gives voice to disabled people while tackling major issues around sexuality and disability.
This powerful story is at times uncomfortable to watch yet impossible to look away from. It's no wonder the film is has received more than 2 dozen awards at film festivals around the world after being screened at more than 100 international film festivals including Toronto and Sundance.
The short centers around a middle-aged disabled gay man named Billy who suffers from Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, which makes everyday tasks impossible without the help of a caregiver. Because of his disability, Billy feels alone in the world and yearns for intimacy and a sexual connection in a world that would rather ignore him.
Edralin met the actor Ken Harrower who plays the main character in Hole years before making the movie and was instantly struck by the actor’s positivity in the face of so many challenges.
“He came to set with a Pride flag hanging at the back of his wheelchair,” Edralin said. “I thought it was really badass that this guy, who likely faces all kinds of prejudice because of his disability, was publicizing his sexuality.”
For Ken Harrower, the short gives a voice to a group in society that is often unheard. He himself has experienced people having difficultly looking past the wheelchair and his disability to see his true self, a gay man with sexual desires.
“Disabled people are as horny as everyone else,” he said.
Tim Valenti, president of Falcon Studio Group and the NakedSword Network, said,”I’m very proud to have this film as apart of the NakedSword Film Works library, I think it's a bold storyline and moving depiction of the sexual desires of a group of people who are sometimes overlooked by society at large, particularly sexually speaking. It should be mandatory viewing for all of us to remind us that we are more than just our physical body.”
Hole is the most watched movie on NakedSword.com for the past three days. See the trailer here.
