FIXED: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement documentary released

2013. After receiving successful funding from a Kickstarter campaign, the documentary FIXED: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement is released in 2013. The documentary focused on "disability, super-ability, and how technology is changing the body" (Brashear, 2011), as well as social tensions surrounding these issues. The documentary has been screened over seventy times, mostly in the United States and Canada, since its release in 2013. It has also won several awards and featured in film festivals, including Picture This, Reel Abilities: NY FDisabilities Film Festival, and the International Documentary Film Festival.

FIXED examines themes of transhumanism and disability. Many technologies are used to "fix" or enhance human bodies, including bionic limbs such as legs that can make a man run faster than most people in the world, neural implants, and prenatal screening. Definitions of "humanity" change in face of these advances. In many ways, these technologies help give people "super-human" abilities, and therefore explore themes related to eugenics. The documentary focuses on five people and their experiences with disability and human enhancement technologies: Gregor Wolbring, a scientist and ability studies scholar (also involved with the Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada project). Fernanda Castelo, an exoskeleton teset pilot, Hugh Herr, a bionics engineer, John Hockenberry, a journalist and radio host, and Patty Berne, a disability justice educator.

The documentary also interviews many different people involved with facets of disability and transhumanism, including scientists, lawyers, professors, and engineers, among others. Excerpts of performances including both disabled and non-disabled performers are also included in the documentary.

FIXED took over four years to create, and post-production stages were supported through a Kickstarter campaign, successfully funded and surpassing its monetary goal in 2011. The film has received many positive reviews from journals and the press.

A trailer for the documentary can be viewed here.

-Colette Leung

FIXED: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement documentary released

2013. After receiving successful funding from a Kickstarter campaign, the documentary FIXED: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement is released in 2013. The documentary focused on "disability, super-ability, and how technology is changing the body" (Brashear, 2011), as well as social tensions surrounding these issues. The documentary has been screened over seventy times, mostly in the United States and Canada, since its release in 2013. It has also won several awards and featured in film festivals, including Picture This, Reel Abilities: NY FDisabilities Film Festival, and the International Documentary Film Festival.

FIXED examines themes of transhumanism and disability. Many technologies are used to "fix" or enhance human bodies, including bionic limbs such as legs that can make a man run faster than most people in the world, neural implants, and prenatal screening. Definitions of "humanity" change in face of these advances. In many ways, these technologies help give people "super-human" abilities, and therefore explore themes related to eugenics. The documentary focuses on five people and their experiences with disability and human enhancement technologies: Gregor Wolbring, a scientist and ability studies scholar (also involved with the Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada project). Fernanda Castelo, an exoskeleton teset pilot, Hugh Herr, a bionics engineer, John Hockenberry, a journalist and radio host, and Patty Berne, a disability justice educator.

The documentary also interviews many different people involved with facets of disability and transhumanism, including scientists, lawyers, professors, and engineers, among others. Excerpts of performances including both disabled and non-disabled performers are also included in the documentary.

FIXED took over four years to create, and post-production stages were supported through a Kickstarter campaign, successfully funded and surpassing its monetary goal in 2011. The film has received many positive reviews from journals and the press.

A trailer for the documentary can be viewed here.

-Colette Leung