Being Heumann Brings Landmark Disability Sit-In to Screen

Siân Heder’s film Being Heumann, starring Ruth Madeley as disability-rights leader Judy Heumann, dramatizes the 1977 San Francisco sit-in in which Heumann and about 150 activists occupied federal offices for 26 days to demand enforcement of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The protest helped secure protections against disability discrimination in federally funded programs and remains a landmark example of collective action. Heder, who worked with Heumann before her death in 2023, says the film honors both the movement’s achievements and the activists’ determination, while also reflecting the continued importance of protest. The filmmakers sought to capture the demonstration’s crowded, collaborative energy, with editor Geraud Brisson emphasizing the challenge of tracking individual stories within the larger ensemble.