"Notarized" director/actor Natalia Rubio on this entry for "dramedic" 2026 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge
"And (why) that's movie magic!"
(To avoid spoilers, check out “Notarized,” just over four minutes, before reading.)
By D Menzies
It’s spring and the annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is back, with this year’s theme being “dramedy.”
The film challenge invites participants who have a disability to be either on screen or behind the camera and to, over the course of about a week, produce an original short film with a few specific guidelines.
Then it’s the awareness campaign stage, which lasts until Sunday, April 12, this year, in which all of the films are available to be screened on the Easterseals YouTube page and shared meanwhile.
In “Notarized,” Emilia Gonzalez (Rubio) is applying for a placard so that she can have more accessible parking accommodations. But Nelva the Notary, played by Kristen Drenning, feels she has to do her utmost diligence in getting medical documentation beyond Emilia, there, in person, making her limb difference clear as possible.
The dramatic comedy may seem inherent, but Rubio, Drenning and company add a lot of nuances that make it sparkle.
“Notarized” speaks to the unique challenges of having a limb difference but, as all of the disability film challenge’s films do, if one is open to it, there’s a universal theme of navigating the world from a vantage point in which someone can be more vulnerable than whatever is supposed to be typical.
“This is my first time participating in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge and it’s actually my first time ever making a film,” Rubio says. “I follow several disabled artists on Instagram and had seen them post about the challenge last year. I really loved the concept of the challenge for multiple reasons. The main reason being that it supports people with disabilities through its mission and by connecting and showcasing disabled artists. I had always wanted to make my own films, but I never knew where to start.”
The challenge’s guidelines and time-frame restriction really helped her lock in, Rubio said
“The day before the challenge submissions closed I thought ‘Let’s do it!’ And I reached out to my friend Nathaniel Archer, who produced, among many other things, the film. Once he was on board, I knew we could figure everything else together. He helped me from start to finish and I could not have asked for a better partner for this. This experience taught me so much about what it takes to plan and create a film.”
In “Notarized,” Rubio plays Emilia dealing with her plight in a way that feels straight even during the bigger comedic moments, but there’s also subtleties that are honed, in part, by experience.
“I love comedy,” Rubio said. “I started my acting journey by learning improv at the Hideout Theatre in Austin, TX. I immediately fell in love with the art form and it plays a huge role in my life. My favorite thing in the world is to get to be silly with my friends.”
Rubio was excited by the film challenge’s genre being dramedy this year; it allowed her to play with that dynamic she loves in addition to the more serious elements, she said.
“I’ve always believed comedy is best when based in truth,” Rubio said. “I wanted my character to be grounded in reality to showcase the true feelings of having to go through this process. Sometimes it’s hard not to laugh when life keeps throwing obstacles at you, though. In real life, when I called my doctor about writing a note for me and they told me he had left the clinic — he just transferred, don’t worry (see film) — I cried in my car and then immediately started laughing.”
“Oftentimes, it’s easy to feel alone when dealing with things that other people you know aren’t.” - Natalia Rubio
“The sister character, Soledad, played by Iliana Lopez, was important to the genre as well because she provided a contrast to the notary,” Rubio said. “She represented someone who has your back and is ready to jump through as many hoops with you as needed. Oftentimes, it’s easy to feel alone when dealing with things that other people you know aren’t. I don’t personally know very many people with a limb difference, but I have been very blessed by the amount of caring and supportive people in my life.”
As Rubio just mentioned in regard to the film’s doctor scenario at the end, “Notarized” is loosely based on true events.
“It is essentially a more exaggerated version of what I have been through while trying to get my own handicap placard,” Rubio said. “I have been driving for over a decade, but have received conflicting information regarding my qualifications for a placard this whole time. Recently, I decided to try again. The information on the county website had different forms and lists of who did and did not qualify for a placard. The film was inspired by the stress I felt of dealing with contradictory information and truly how silly it felt to me that I needed to go through all these hoops to get to use more accessible spots when needed.
The Pitfalls of Being Earnest
Rubio’s very first inspiration for “Notarized” was imagining the scenario between Emilia and Nelva the Notary.
“I wanted a character who was clearly being ridiculous, but who truly believed they were doing the right thing,” Rubio said. “This was inspired by people telling me that all of the documentation I needed for my disability was to ‘protect disabled people.’ I think people can get so focused on making sure people aren’t getting away with ‘fraud’ that they fail to see the person in front of them.
“When I created the (Nelva) character, I wanted an improviser to play them so that we can play around with the character,” Rubio said. “Thankfully, I have a wonderful friend (Drenning), who is one of the best improvisers I know. I gave her a synopsis of the character and the script and she was able to bring this character to life. She has such a gift for playing characters that are both incredibly ridiculous yet incredibly earnest. And I truly believe the notary really thought they were doing what is best. That’s why she doesn’t seem to have that much remorse for the difficulty she’s causing.”
“I think people can get so focused on making sure people aren’t getting away with ‘fraud’ that they fail to see the person in front of them.” - Natalia Rubio
Roses
Upon my first viewing, I didn’t notice how creatively Rubio and the film’s crew included items specified in the guidelines — like the roses. They utilize such elements, which also include a garage as setting, in way both creative and naturalistic, and for Rubio that’s down to collaborating with her friends.
“The best part about making a film with my friends is that a lot of the film’s elements came from us just having fun together,” Rubio said. “Our original location fell through the afternoon we were shooting so Nate and I readjusted the script, he offered up his house, and ‘Notarized’ now took place in a garage. The background is actually a quilt that my friend Addie had in their house. We thought it was colorful and weird enough to perfectly match the notary’s vibe. The garage door opening came out of someone on the crew saying they thought it would be funny. So we did it, we laughed, and we put it in the film. It was such a fun set to be a part of.”
At the end of “Notarized,” Soledad shows up for her sister with what she hoped would be congratulatory flowers, but those flowers end up being a consolation. But Soledad also tries to get her sister an appointment with a doctor, so Emilia can finally stop getting her hopes about getting the necessary stamp for a placard, and even though the next available appointment is eight months away (at 4:00 A.M. in the morning), Emilia takes it as a small kind of win.
“The original ending of the film was ‘Well I’ve waited my whole life, what’s another 8 months,’” Rubio said. “We cut the line itself, but the general premise remains. Though it is annoying to have to keep waiting, sometimes just getting that next appointment on the books is the win we need to keep going. It also demonstrates the amount of time and effort that goes into getting accessibility accommodations. Doctors are often booked for months so this is just a reality for a lot of people.”
Overall, Rubio said she’s very grateful to be able to participate in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
“It gave me the courage to make my first film and share my own story,” Rubio said. “And I got to do it with some of the greatest people I know. On set we kept repeating the phrase ‘and that’s movie magic!’ It truly does feel magical to get to create and learn and laugh with other people. I know this is just the beginning of my acting and filmmaking career, and I’m looking forward to everything that is to come.”
Find Rubio on Instagram @ a.girl.named.natty, and if you haven’t already watched “Notarized,” see it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qptUjxj1-I.
Thank you, paid subscribers, for helping make this article possible.