Zeno Mountain Farm (or Zeno for short) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, year round organization that hosts camps for people with and without disabilities. The flagship camp of Zeno Mountain Farm is held in

Bristol, Vermont Bristol is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was chartered on June 26, 1762, by the colonial Governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The charter was granted to Samuel Averill and sixty-three associates in the name of ...

, during July. Satellite camps are held in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and Jensen Beach. In total the camp is in session for 120 days a year. Each camp session has a specific goal ranging from putting on a play to participating in athletic events. The camp is run entirely by donations and volunteers, allowing for all campers to attend without cost. Recently the organization has produced films projects utilizing people with disabilities both on-screen and behind the scenes, including the feature ''Best Summer Ever'', which premiered at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival.

History

Will and Peter Halby, together with their wives, Vanessa and Ila, founded Zeno Mountain Farm in 2008, making a commitment to spend their lives creating opportunities for and with

people with disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

and diverse needs. A documentary film about Zeno Mountain Farm, directed by Micheal Barnett titled "Becoming Bulletproof" was released in 2014. The film follows the making of a Western film by the volunteers and campers.

Vermont summer camp

Zeno Mountain Farm holds a month-long, flagship,

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

in July in which the participants engage in a variety of activities. Campers swim, windsurf, do arts and crafts, dance, sing and hold bonfires. The two main activities are creating a float and costumes for the annual

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

parade held in the town of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, and producing and performing a play, open to the public, on the final days of camp.

Satellite camps

Various other camps and activities are held throughout the year. Film, music and athletic camps are held in Los Angeles. Every year an original film is produced by the participants and is premiered across the country to help raise funds for the camp. A sports camp takes place in Jensen Beach, Florida.

''Becoming Bulletproof''

''Becoming Bulletproof'' is a documentary film that follows the making of a Western style movie by the Zeno participants. Director Michael Barnett was inspired to make the documentary after attending a film premiere and fundraiser for the camp three years prior to the project. ''Becoming Bulletproof'' provides insight into the struggles of film making, but its primary focus is on the cultivating of friendships between the actors, crew and other volunteers. It received critical acclaim with a Rotten Tomato score of 100%. ''Becoming Bulletproof'' was nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Documentary Film.

''Best Summer Ever''

Zeno Mountain Farm's first

feature-length film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, '' Best Summer Ever'', was released 2020. It is the first movie musical to primarily stars actors with disabilities and the first

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

-registered movie in which more than half of the cast and crew have disabilities. ''Best Summer Ever'' is a

movie musical Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

with eight original songs. It stars Shannon DeVido, Ricky Wilson, Jr.,

Holly Palmer Holly Palmer (born c. 1971) is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California.Holly Palmer
, ' ...

, Eileen Grubba, Madeline Rhodes (MuMu), Jacob Waltuck, Bradford Hayes, Emily Kranking, A.J. Murray, and Jeremy Vest with cameos from Maggie Gyllenhaal,

Peter Sarsgaard John Peter Sarsgaard (; born March 7, 1971) is an American actor. His first feature role was in '' Dead Man Walking'' in 1995. He then appeared in the 1998 independent films ''Another Day in Paradise'' and ''Desert Blue''. That same year, Sarsga ...

Benjamin Bratt Benjamin Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor and producer who has worked in film and on television. He had supporting roles in the 1990s in such box office hits as ''Demolition Man'' (1993), ''Clear and Present Danger'' (1994), ...

(with his daughter Sophia), and

Zack Gottsagen Zachary Robin Gottsagen (born April 22, 1985) is an American actor. He had a breakout role for the film ''The Peanut Butter Falcon''. Career His screen debut happened as an infant in a 1985 instructional film on natural childbirth. While at Z ...

. With

Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...

Ted Danson Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. ...

, Mary Steenburgen, Amy Brenneman and Dominique Dauwe serving as executive producers. The film was set for its world premiere at the South by Southwest 2020 Film Festival until its cancellation due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. On March 24, the film received the festival's "2020 Final Draft Screenwriters Award" for screenwriters Michael Parks Randa, Will Halby, Terra Mackintosh, Andrew Pilkington, and Lauren Smitelli. The film then screened virtually at the festival's 2021 edition on March 24, 2021. It also opened the 2021 ReelAbilities Film Festival on April 29, 2021, in its first physical New York-area screening at the Queens Drive-In in

Flushing, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...

. The film currently streams on Hulu.

References

{{Summer camps in Vermont Non-profit organizations based in the United States Summer camps in California Summer camps in Florida Summer camps in Vermont Disability theatre Summer camps for children with special needs Charities for disabled people Disability mass media Arts organizations based in Vermont Disability organizations based in the United States