Edward Guthmann April 22, 2021Updated: April 22, 2021, 6:33 pm
Co-directors Jim LeBrecht (right) and Nicole Newnham Photo: Courtesy of James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, Tommy Lau Photography
When Jim LeBrecht attends the 93rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday, April 25, he plans to wear a bespoke tuxedo designed by a high-end European fashion house. Movie stars get that treatment all the time, but LeBrecht is an Oakland independent filmmaker whose Oscar-nominated documentary feature, “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” was made on a budget that’s minuscule when stacked against a Hollywood release.
He also has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair.
“I’ve never had anyone create anything specifically for me,” LeBrecht, 64, says in the backyard of his Oakland hills home. “I’ve got a rather unique body. … My hips are out of whack and my legs swerve a little. One is 23 inches long; the other’s 25 inches. It’s body jazz, basically. Atypical.”