Before our third and final film of the current season I thought it might be worth putting some facts out there about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For starters, it affects more than 1 in 100 children. Some studies put it as high as 1 in 68. Boys are nearly 5 times more likely to have it than girls and despite some myths, people do not ‘normally’ grow out of it. Estimates are that 700,000 people in the UK have ASD and there is no medical cure or detection for it.
If, like me, you read some of those facts and realised just how little you knew about something which affects so many of the population, then perhaps our next event is for you. In fact, it is in the hope of raising awareness and shaking off some of the taboo around the subject that we felt it was the right time to show this film at the Folk Hall. Not only that, but also the fact it is a beautiful movie which really showcases the power of film and how it can affect people’s lives.
In this case the person in question is Owen Suskind who, early in his life, went silent. Growing up in a modern age meant much of his life was caught on camera and Academy Award Winning directer, Roger Ross, seamlessly weaves childhood footage from Owen’s life alongside classic Disney sequences and beautiful new animations. These help to give us a unique glimpse into an autistic boy’s world and the magical role that animated film had in allowing him to become the man he was meant to be.
The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and won the Critics Choice Documentary Award along with a host of other accolades. We are also proud to welcome along Mary Thompson from the City of York Council again who attended during our Still Alice showing in May. Mary will be making sure relevant help and information is available for anyone wanting to find out more.
We will be starting the evening with a short introduction by one of our very own volunteers, Tegan Pearce to talk to us about her experience of Autism and how it has formed her next film project. We would love to see you along and appreciate you supporting your local community cinema.
Film at the Folk Hall 