Who am I and why did I start Crip Frame

I’m Gabriela, but I prefer to be called Gab. I am a photographer, cinematographer, editor, and MA student in Film and Media Studies (as of November 2025). I’m originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and English is not my first language. I’m still learning, and I will make mistakes, but this blog is part of that process. My goal here is to improve my English reading, critical thinking, and writing through what I love most: film.

On this blog, I write film analyses through a disability lens from classic to contemporary cinema. When I was an undergraduate student (I majored in Social Communication with an emphasis in Film), I started looking for films that included disabled characters, stories, or perspectives. It wasn't easy to find references, as even my professors struggled to suggest titles. So I created this space as both a guide and an archive, because trust me: there are many films to analyze.

I also write from personal experience. I have a disability, and that influences the way I watch and think about images; it made me more sensitive, I would say. Sometimes I’ll share short personal essays, but my primary focus is exploring film through disability studies, representation, and accessibility. Growing up, the lack of representation made me feel alone, and for a long time I tried to hide my disability to fit in. This project is my way of contributing to the disability community and helping show what should already be obvious: we belong behind and in front of the camera.

I love experimentation, too. In 2024, I created an experimental short film as my undergraduate capstone project. It explores my relationship with disability, vision, memory, and art through archival imagery. The film is called Nem a Cores, and it is one of the works I’m proudest of.

I also transformed these writings into video essays on YouTube, where you can view them here.

My goal is to make everything as accessible as possible, and while I’m only one person, I’m committed to learning and improving as I go.

Welcome to Crip Frame. I am glad you are here.