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Move Me directed by Kelsey Peterson, Daniel Klein.
Move Me directed by Kelsey Peterson, Daniel Klein. Photo by Brennan Vance Courtesy of Submerged Film LLC

Move Me, a feature film made by and about a quadraplegic, world premieres at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival on April 7th, and also plays at the ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York on April 12th.

In Move Me, Kelsey Peterson, a first-time filmmaker with a disability simultaneously takes the reins behind the scenes – creating an unvarnished experience filled with dance, sexuality, pain and struggle, transcendence and humor. A unusually intimate journey of her commitment to growth and healing through life and art.

At 27, Kelsey Peterson dove into Lake Superior, off the shores of Wisconsin, and emerged paralyzed. Now, the former dancer struggles to redefine who she is while adapting to life with a disability. At the intersection of acceptance and hope, Kelsey unexpectedly finds herself facing an opportunity to dance again, showing her a new path toward acceptance, all the while grappling with a decision to participate in a cutting-edge clinical trial that could bring her much-desired change — forcing her to evaluate the possibilities of her recovery, body and spirit.

Move Me directed by Kelsey Peterson, Daniel Klein
A Cripple’s Dance at the Southerhern Theater. Move Me, Leah Westlund (left) and Kelsey Peterson. Photo by Tyler Croat. Courtesy of Submerged Film LLC

Said Co-Director Kelsey Peterson, “I wanted to tell this story to bring healing, on many levels — to those of us who have lost things that defined us, to my beloved spinal cord injury community. I think this film works to shift a narrowed narrative about people with disabilities, and that means a lot to me. If this film — or my experience — can serve as a bridge to connect able-bodied people to the disability experience in a way that holds more empathy and accountability for making this world more inclusive and accessible, that would be an honor.”

Said Co-Director Daniel Klein, “I feel like my role as Co-Director was to help Kelsey tell her story, and to help the audience have that same experience that I did: to love Kelsey, to see the strength in disability, and to look into our own lives to accept and fight the challenges we face.”

Move Me is the directorial debut of dancer / choreographer Kelsey Peterson. Co-directed by Daniel Klein, a former NYC / London chef (Bouchon, Craft, The Fat Duck) turned award-winning filmmaker and television creator who has created over 170 international short films. He is a founder of the acclaimed online documentary series The Perennial Plate, Executive Producer of PBS’s Road Food (2022), director of the PBS series Weekends With Yankee (2019 – 2022), and producer of the Emmy nominated PBS series The Victory Garden’s Edible Feast (2013).

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