Park City short film puts inclusion and independence at the center

Noah Mouton-Sady peers through a doorway in the poster for "Noah's Big Adventure," a short film created for the 2026 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. The film, directed by his mother Britt Sady, screens Thursday at the Park City Library. Photo: Britt Sady

"Noah's Big Adventure," inspired by a real moment and filmed for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, screens Thursday at the Park City Library

PARK CITY, Utah — A short film rooted in Park City and built around authentic disability representation will screen Thursday at the Park City Library, bringing a local story of independence and belonging to the community that inspired it.

“Noah’s Big Adventure” follows a 15-year-old with Down syndrome who runs away to prove he doesn’t need anyone — only to discover how much people need one another. The film was created for the 2026 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, a global competition that gives teams a tight production window to write, shoot, and complete an original short. Each team must include at least one participant with a disability.

For filmmaker Britt Sady, the story is personal. The actor playing Noah is her son.

“This is his story,” Sady said.

The short also functions as the opening sequence of a larger feature project of the same name, which is now seeking backing and distribution. On the project website, Sady describes the film as inspired by a real moment in Noah’s life and calls it “a love letter to inclusion, belonging, and the communities that truly see our kids.”

That connection to Park City is central. Noah’s journey in the film moves through familiar local spaces — from Park City High School to the National Ability Center, and then onto ADA-supported transit with High Valley Transit. Sady said the settings are not incidental. They reflect the lived reality that shaped the story and the reasons her family felt called to tell it here.

“We moved here 18 months ago to care for my father after he suffered a stroke, and in that time we have experienced firsthand the extraordinary inclusivity of this community,” Sady said.

The production also drew heavily on local talent. Sady said many Park City-based filmmakers and industry professionals volunteered their time, alongside collaborators from outside Utah. Producer Matias Alvarez joined after a connection through the Utah Film Commission, she said, and the crew included experienced professionals working across directing, cinematography, production design, editing, and sound.

Rather than simply casting around disability, Sady said, the film was built around authentic representation from the start.

“We were drawn to the challenge because it aligns perfectly with our goals: to create a compelling film, ensure authentic inclusion, and share this story as widely as possible,” she said.

That mission closely matches the stated purpose of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, which was founded to expand opportunities for disabled creators and improve disability representation on screen. The 2026 event is the challenge’s 13th year.

Sady said she hopes the film reflects something back to Park City about itself.

“I hope the Park City community feels seen and celebrated for the unique contributions it makes through its nonprofits, transportation systems, and educational infrastructure,” she said. “This film holds Park City up as a model of what inclusion can look like — where adventure, beauty, and opportunity are accessible to everyone.”

If audiences leave wanting to build more inclusive communities in their own lives, she said, the project has done its job.

A free screening of Easterseals Disability Film Challenge shorts, including “Noah’s Big Adventure,” is scheduled for Thursday, April 2, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Jim Santy Auditorium at the Park City Library.