A collection of films, talks and projects inspired by Neurodiversity.
The Reason I Jump.
Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, THE REASON I JUMP is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida’s revelatory descriptions of his autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe, a sensually rich tapestry that leads us to Naoki’s core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say.
Dina
An eccentric and outspoken 49-year-old in suburban Philadelphia, invites her fiancé Scott, a Walmart door greeter, to move in with her. Having grown up neurologically diverse in a world blind to the value of their experience, the two are head-over-heels for one another, but shacking up poses a new challenge.
“An unconventional and necessary look at the neurologically diverse””
-IndieWire
The Horse Boy
Part travel adventure, part insight into shamanic healing and part intimate look at the autistic mind. In telling one family’s extraordinary story, the film gives voice to the thousands who display amazing courage and creativity everyday in the battle against this mysterious and heartbreaking epidemic. The filmic companion to Isaacson’s best-selling book of the same name, and a festival favorite, this ravishing documentary odyssey gives insight into how, in life’s darkest moments, one can find the gateway to joy and wonder.
How far would you travel to heal someone you love? An intensely personal yet epic spiritual journey, The Horse Boy follows one Texas couple and their autistic son as they trek on horseback through Outer Mongolia in an attempt to find healing for him.
At Dawn He Died
Matthew finds himself on a beach at 9:07am, where he goes from here he doesn’t know. Roundhouse Pictures have produced our first drama film about ADHD, Aspergers Syndrome and a broken reality. As a video production company in Newcastle, Roundhouse Pictures wrote, filmed and directed this short film starring actors Elliott Barrington and Anna Wraith.
Directed by James Craggs. Written, filmed and edited by Tautvydas Baranauskas. Sound by Jack Abernethy. Based on an original idea by Scott Latty.
Who Cares About Kelsey?
When Kelsey Carroll entered high school, she was a more likely candidate for the juvenile justice system than graduation. Diagnosed with ADHD and carrying the emotional scars of homelessness and substance abuse, as well as the actual scars of repeated self-mutilation, Kelsey was volatile, disruptive and, by her own admission, “not a nice person” to be around. As a freshman at Somersworth (NH) High School, she didn’t earn a single academic credit, but she did get suspended for dealing drugs.
This film will make viewers reconsider the “problem kids” in their own high schools and spark new conversations about an education revolution that’s about empowering–not overpowering–our most emotionally and behaviorally challenged youth.
Shine a light on ADHD
This short documentary shines a light on living with ADHD, from a personal and a scientific perspective. This film is created by Laura Ghirardi, Nicoletta Adamo and Arjan de Brouwer together with a team of young researchers of the MiND research project and 4QuarterFilms.
Dislecksia: The Movie
A light-hearted documentary with a serious purpose. It will give viewers a better understanding of the condition itself, the problems it makes for individuals and families, and the programs that are needed to deal with it. It will help dyslexics and their families get the assistance they need. It will give them hope – as well as a crash course in how to laugh at their own condition.
Get on board with Emmy award-winning filmmaker Harvey Hubbell V and his crew as they explore the unique nature of how each of us learn. Join Hubbell, dyslexic superstars Billy Bob Thornton and Joe Pantoliano, world-renowned brain scientists and researchers, students and advocates as they join a movement to revolutionize education. Find out what it’s like to have your brain scanned inside an fMRI and visit with a group of dyslexic researchers in the jungles of Costa Rica, all the while following Hubbell through his days of growing up dyslexic before many had even heard of the word. Through the non-linear brain of Hubbell, his lens captures the otherwise complex issues of learning differences in a manner that allows the audience to recognize the differences and honor the gifts in all of us. This is social awareness with a heart.
I AM DYSLEXIC
Short Animated Student Film. A young dyslexic child falls into a world made entirely out of books. Alone in the environment, he is forced to climb a mountain representing the education system.
The animated short film I AM DYSLEXIC expresses what it feels like to have a learning difference in our current school system. Those with learning differences should be proud of who they are and should never be made to feel alone. The film uses strong metaphors to portray these emotions, as we follow a little boy in his journey to climb a mountain in a world made of books.
I AM DYSLEXIC is a student animated short directed, produced, and written by Mads Johan Øgaard and Katie Wyman. We are both Dyslexic and have both experienced different ways in which the school system tries to deal with dyslexic students, the good and the bad. We have made this film in the hopes of giving individuals who experience learning differences something to relate to. Something to say; “Yes, this is a tough journey, but you’re not alone and you can overcome the struggle!”. This is content that many of us did not have growing up. Hence why we want as many people to see this film as possible, in the hopes it will give someone the courage to keep going.
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Attention Please
As a parent when you hear those words your whole world shifts. The fear of anxiety, ADD, ADHD, a host of pervasive developmental disorders looms large in your mind. Other parents see your child as the hyperactive troublemaker, disrupting their own child’s progress; a problem that needs solving, or simply pushed to one side. You as a parent move heaven and earth to find an answer. In many cases the behavioural experts suggest the answer lies within drugs. Psychoactive drugs. The thought fills you with dread.
But what if there was an effective alternative for children with challenging behaviours? What if there were a drug-free therapy? One that has transformed the lives of hundreds of children, and that could do the same for your son or daughter.
For the parents in this documentary that therapy was a turning point in their families’ lives. This is their story.
Loop
A non-verbal, autistic girl and a chatty boy are partnered on a canoeing trip. To complete their journey across an urban lake, they must both learn how the other experiences the world.
My brain isn’t broken | Tashi Baiguerra | TEDxLondon
In March 2018, 21 year old Tashi Baiguerra received a diagnosis that would finally allow her to understand why she wasn’t always able to make sense of things that everyone else seemed to find straightforward. Symptoms and characteristics that she had previously thought of as ‘failures’, were actually traits of her Asperger’s Syndrome. At first, Tashi believes her diagnosis, along with feelings of fear, loneliness and shame often projected onto people with Autism, would dictate her career and life choices. However, through her own powerful journey, she encourages us to see and understand individuals with neurodiversity and other disabilities radically differently. As an actress with Asperger’s Syndrome, Tashi Baiguerra is proud to be a voice for the Autism community through her work. A dreamer, with accolades for both Autistic and non-Autistic roles, Tashi moved to work in the thriving London theatre scene after graduating from the Howard Fine Acting Studio in Melbourne, Australia in 2017. In London, she trained with Frantic Assembly Theatre Company and currently works as a physical theatre performer and folk musician. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
Biggerhouse Film
Biggerhouse Film make award winning dramas, documentaries and animation films.
In all our films we put the participants at the centre of the devising and production process. We make films ‘with’ people not ‘about’ them. We believe this way of working empowers not only the participants but also makes for a stronger film thus having greater impact on the intended audience.
THE DAWN OF THE DARK FOX feature builds on the developing collaboration between biggerhouse film maker Tom Stubbs and Michael Smith, who have been working together for over 10 years. Their first film LIGHT & DARK made in 2008, took the audience prize at Encounters and is a comedy about autism, friendship and the film making process combining documentary, fiction & fantasy.
Different Voices
An ongoing film talent development programme for emerging Neurodiverse film makers and creatives from the Bristol area.