Tangier Treehouse
When a group of Moroccan street children are invited to take part in a treehouse building workshop, they find themselves and their lives transformed.
Renegades
Renegades showcases five historic figures with disabilities and their contributions to the United States’ society, while exploring the unique elements of disability culture.
- Series
- American Masters
- Premiere Date
- October 1, 2024
- Length
- 5 episodes x 10 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Series and Special Projects
Series Creator/Senior Producer
Day Al-Mohamed
Day Al-Mohamed is a filmmaker and disability policy strategist with over 15 years of experience, including as the White House director of disability policy. Al-Mohamed directed Invalid Corps (2020) and produced the documentary feature, unseen (2023). Al-Mohamed is a founder of FWD-Doc (Documentary Filmmakers with Disabilities).
Series Producer
Amanda Upson
Amanda Upson transitioned from labor and employment law to become an independent producer. Her film, Magnum Opus, premiered at the 2018 Virginia Film Festival. She also produced A Long March, (2022). The interim director of FWD-Doc, she is an active member of Speciality Bar Associations, and is admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court bar.
Executive Producer
Charlotte Mangin
Charlotte Mangin is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with 25 years of experience. The creator and executive producer of UNLADYLIKE2020, she worked for PBS and National Geographic Television, including the series Wide Angle, America By The Numbers, and National Geographic Explorer. She was interim executive director of Futuro Media.
- Other ITVS Films
- Tangier Treehouse
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The Film
Hosted by musician and disability advocate, Lachi, Renegades is a series of five shorts focused on historical figures in the U.S. with disabilities.
Thomas Wiggins (1849-1908) was the first African American composer and pianist to perform at the White House. Blind and autistic, he toured internationally yet received only $20 monthly under a guardianship. This episode centers on individual capacity, control, and freedom, as well as conservatorship abuse.
Daniel K. Inouye (1924-2012) was an Army veteran who lost his right arm in WWII. Inouye went on to become a U.S. Senator, representing Hawai’i for over five decades. His profile considers disability from an intimate perspective and within the context of military service.
Judy-Lynn Del Rey (1943-1986), a woman with dwarfism, was an editor whose authors included science fiction luminaries like Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and Philip K. Dick. This episode explores her life and science fiction’s ability to shape collective imagination and alter perspective.
Brad Lomax (1950-1984) was a disability and civil rights leader in the 1970s—an era when the Black Panthers in Oakland spearheaded a health clinic and provided free breakfast for kids. In nearby Berkeley, people with disabilities organized for their right to live independently. Lomax bridged both communities, yet his life’s work of caring and compassion has largely been erased from history. This short weaves together both the tensions and connections of different cultures.
Celestine Tate Harrington (1955-1998) was a street musician born without limbs. When she became a mother, the City of Philadelphia claimed she could not care for her baby, but she successfully defended her right to parent. Using only her lips, teeth, and tongue, she demonstrated skills like dressing her daughter and diaper changing. This installment highlights Harrington’s custody battle in a nation where 35 states maintain laws that can deem a parent unfit due to a disability.
