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In her short documentary Jonah Stands Up, the US director Hannah Engelson profiles her friend Jonah Bascle: a creative, defiant spirit and New Orleans native who is dealing with a terminal heart condition related to his muscular dystrophy. The setup might sound familiar, but the short film and its subject are refreshingly subversive, refusing to fall into tired clichés about confronting disability and illness with bravery. A scrappy and heartfelt DIY production, the film uses animations inspired by Bascle’s artwork, footage of his standup comedy sets, and emotionally raw doctor’s visits to tell his story. Through Engelson’s tribute, Bascle is never presented as an inspirational force, but rather as the many things – a 20something artist, a disability-rights advocate, a rabble-rousing political candidate, a friend – he was in life.
Director: Hannah Engelson
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Earth science and climate
The only man permitted in Bhutan’s sacred mountains chronicles humanity’s impact
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Cosmology
The Indian astronomer whose innovative work on black holes was mocked at Cambridge
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Art
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The ancient world
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Death
A hunter’s lyrical reflection on the humbling business of being mortal
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Love and friendship
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Astronomy
Seven years later, what can we make of our first confirmed interstellar visitor?
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Physics
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Art
More than breathtaking, ‘The Birth of Venus’ signalled an aesthetic revolution
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