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Drea Castro lifts stories of disabled community in 'Baldy for the Blind'

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Steve Angeles | TFC News Hollywood

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0V-eFJXZldo?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>In 2010, Filipino-American filmmaker Drea Castro had a cinematic vision to uplift the disabled community no matter the uphill battle.The hiker, who was then training to be a site guide for the visually impaired, began filming the documentary &quot;Baldy for the Blind.&quot;The film explores a group of blind hikers training and conquering the highest mountain and one of the most dangerous hikes in Los Angeles&quot;It&#x27;s something I&#x27;m passionate about,&quot; said Castro about hiking. &quot;I was getting trained to be a sight guide but then I realized this story is very important. So something was pulling me to tell the story.&quot;Castro&#x27;s film premiered at the Dances With Films Festival in Hollywood earlier this month. The festival offers a platform for independent filmmakers and for social issues to be heard.For Castro, the moment was a long journey. As a self-funded film, it took her 13 years to finally bring it to an audience.&quot;It was just me and a dear friend, Matt, who worked on this for years,&quot; she said. &quot;I ran into a lot of struggle [but] I just kept going, similar to the people in my film.&quot;She added: &quot;They taught me about endurance and how you can get to the top of a mountain one step at a time. I&#x27;m here today because of them.&quot;The hikers featured in the film had different levels of sight. Some developed eye conditions later on in life, while others, like Pampanga-born JoJo Ronquillo, have been blind since birth.&quot;I&#x27;m very glad to be in this movie,&quot; Ronquillo said. &quot;It was not easy. It was a lot of pain. [But] at the same time, it was worth it.&quot;Disability advocates within the entertainment industry said that while a quarter of people in the United States have a disability, less than 2% of the people seen on film and television are disabled, with a majority of them played by non-disabled actors.&quot;A lot of people are going to find this as an inspiration,&quot; said actor John Lawson. &quot;To me, this is just people out and enjoying themselves and discovering the human experience.&quot;&quot;Baldy for the Blind&quot; received a standing ovation during its premiere.Castro said she plans to bring the film to London this fall. The film has also been lined up in several other festivals and screenings.&quot;People within the disabled community, they are overlooked,&quot; she said. &quot;But they are very able and they can do anything they want to. And I hope that when people watch my film, the stereotype they had in the past will be broken.&quot;

Drea Castro's film explores a group of blind hikers conquering one of the most dangerous hikes in Los Angeles.