2023 Dani’s Twins Film
Presented by Dani Izzie, Angie Gentile, Brad Allgood, and Andy Arias
Sponsored by: College of Information Studies (iSchool), University of Maryland and The Graduate School’s Office of Graduate Diversity and Inclusion (OGDI), University of Maryland
Date and Time
2023 Disability Summit
Date: April 26, 2023
Film Screening: 3:35pm-4:35pm
Q&A: 4:35pm-4:45pm
Presentation Materials
No presentation materials provided.
Film Synopsis
Dani’s Twins captures the pregnancy and early parenting journey of Daniela Izzie, one of the few quadriplegics in history to ever give birth to twins. While a source of great joy, Dani’s twin pregnancy is highly unusual and susceptible to an array of risks, ranging from blood pressure spikes that could lead to a stroke to the almost-certain likelihood of preterm labor. When the Covid-19 pandemic strikes, it raises the stakes for an already complicated pregnancy. Amid these ups and downs, Dani’s story depicts her unwavering determination against all odds to deliver healthy babies and be a great mother.
About the Speakers
Dani Izzie
Protagonist and Producer
Star and co-producer of Perpetuo Film’s “Dani’s Twins” documentary, Dani continues to amplify issues faced by disabled parents. She is immersed in the world of grassroots advocacy where she has worked with organizations on local and national levels including United Spinal Association and Women Enabled International to craft and promote solutions for inequities faced by disabled people on a day-to-day basis. Dani is also a digital and social marketing professional specializing in disability inclusive advertising. She holds a Master’s in English with a focus on Disability Studies. And as the founder of Access Social, a boutique disability-led agency, Dani’s mission is to help companies meet the 3rd largest market segment in the U.S. She is a multinational Italian-American wheelchair-using mother to twin toddlers and lives in Virginia just outside of Shenandoah National Park.
If you want to join Dani’s journey, follow her on: Instagram | Facebook | Blog | YouTube | Twitter
Angie Gentile
Producer and Impact Producer
Angie serves as VP of Impact and Outreach for Perpetuo Films. Angie comes to the documentary film world after more than 20 years at the crossroads of international development and communications. Most recently, Angie was the global advocacy and campaigns lead for the World Bank, where she specialized in multimedia, multi-channel engagement. During this time, she oversaw communications strategy and implementation — print, online, social, marketing, multimedia, and media — for a wide range of business lines, including IDA, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest. In this capacity, she spearheaded communications campaigns that helped raise more than $125 billion for projects in the world’s poorest countries. Angie studied international relations at The American University and the University of Copenhagen, and studied art at Parque Lage Escola de Arte in Rio de Janeiro. She has worked in more than 3 dozen countries and speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. She lives in Arlington, VA.
Brad Allgood
Director
Brad currently serves as VP of Post-production for Perpetuo Films. Brad’s acclaimed feature documentary “Landfill Harmonic” garnered over 40 festival wins in 250+ festivals (including SXSW Audience Award and AFI Fest Audience Award), and was acquired by HBO, among other global platforms. The Oscar-qualifying film tells the heartwarming story of a youth orchestra in Paraguay that plays instruments made entirely from garbage. Brad’s other films include “My Village, My Lobster,” winner of the CINE Golden Eagle for Independent Documentary and “Songs from Bosawas,” an adventure music film that documents the first professional recording of indigenous musicians in Nicaragua’s rainforests. He recently edited “Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story” about the Tonight Show bandleader and world-famous trumpeter Doc Severinsen. Brad spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua, holds an M.A. in Film and Video Production from American University, and is a native of Georgia.
Contact Information: IMDB
Andy Arias
Producer
Andy brings more than a decade of experience working at the federal, state and local levels as a disability policy expert and advocate, seeking to create greater pathways for diversity and inclusion. Andy serves on a wide range of boards and commissions, including The HIV and AIDS Commission of Los Angeles and The President’s Committee on Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. Andy lectures and provides training for universities, high schools, and Congressional leaders on ADA compliance and the inclusion of people with disabilities and diverse backgrounds. In addition, Andy advocates for disability equality in the entertainment industry and has worked with Tom Hanks, Mark Ruffalo and Hilary Swank on diverse projects. He is often asked to consult with producers and directors to create greater visibility for people with disabilities and has produced several small projects focused on persons with disabilities and the LGBTQ community. Andy’s goal is to combine policy and entertainment to create a lasting systemic change.
