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Being Heumann: A Rousing Drama on Disability Rights
Confirmed
In Short: Apple Original Films has unveiled the teaser trailer for 'Being Heumann,' a biopic about Judy Heumann, the 'mother of the disability rights movement,' ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Apple Original Films has unveiled the teaser trailer for 'Being Heumann,' a biopic about Judy Heumann, the 'mother of the disability rights movement,' ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2026. The film, directed by Academy Award winner Siân Heder, chronicles Heumann's leadership in a group of young activists who fought for equal rights.
Based on true events, 'Being Heumann' recounts the 28-day occupation of San Francisco's federal building in 1977, where Heumann and her group demanded the signing of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and its Section 504, which banned discrimination against people with disabilities in government-funded institutions. The film highlights the movement's efforts more than a decade before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law.
Siân Heder, who previously directed the multi-Academy Award-winning 'CODA,' brings a powerful narrative to 'Being Heumann.' The film is described as a 'revolutionary, irreverent and deeply human story of the least likely people trying to pull off the impossible and change the lives of millions.' It showcases the intimacy and trust in caregiving, the sexual autonomy of disabled individuals, and the feeling of invisibility faced by society.
According to reports, the film is an ensemble piece that captures the entire movement Heumann championed. It explores the backstories of the talented disabled characters, each contributing to the film's humorous and touching heartbeat. The teaser trailer, which has been unveiled, promises a lively and rousing biopic, mixing humor into a landmark moment in the quest for equal rights for all.
Being Heumann' opens in select theaters on November 6, 2026, and on Apple TV on November 13, 2026. The film is a powerful new feature that chronicles Heumann's leadership and the collective voice of the activists in their fight against discrimination.
What's confirmed
- Apple Original Films has unveiled the teaser trailer for 'Being Heumann,' a biopic about Judy Heumann, the 'mother of the disability rights movement,' ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2026. The film, directed by Academy Award winner Siân Heder, chronicles Heumann's leadership in a group of young activists who fought for equal rights.
- Based on true events, 'Being Heumann' recounts the 28-day occupation of San Francisco's federal building in 1977, where Heumann and her group demanded the signing of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and its Section 504, which banned discrimination against people with disabilities in government-funded institutions. The film highlights the movement's efforts more than a decade before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law.
- Siân Heder, who previously directed the multi-Academy Award-winning 'CODA,' brings a powerful narrative to 'Being Heumann.' The film is described as a 'revolutionary, irreverent and deeply human story of the least likely people trying to pull off the impossible and change the lives of millions.' It showcases the intimacy and trust in caregiving, the sexual autonomy of disabled individuals, and the feeling of invisibility faced by society.
- According to reports, the film is an ensemble piece that captures the entire movement Heumann championed. It explores the backstories of the talented disabled characters, each contributing to the film's humorous and touching heartbeat. The teaser trailer, which has been unveiled, promises a lively and rousing biopic, mixing humor into a landmark moment in the quest for equal rights for all.
- Being Heumann' opens in select theaters on November 6, 2026, and on Apple TV on November 13, 2026. The film is a powerful new feature that chronicles Heumann's leadership and the collective voice of the activists in their fight against discrimination.
What's still developing
- In the case of Siân Heder, she’s managed to follow up CODA with Being Heumann, a similarly crowd pleasing and life affirming work that this time is telling a true story.
- What starts in that San Francisco office building eventually gets to Washington DC, with history eventually being made.
- At a time when rights are being threatened, seeing how ones were attained in the first place is deeply moving.
- Ever since the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed, Section 504, which was the first national civil rights legislation designed to provide protections for people with disabilities, has not been enacted.
- BEING HEUMANN marks the second collaboration for Apple Original Films and writer/director Siân Heder, who directed the multi-Academy Award winning CODA, which made history as the first with a predominantly deaf cast to receive the Best Picture honor.
- SYNOPSIS: They wouldn’t take Judy Heumann’s phone calls, so she took their building.