Autism Every Day, the video that has been viewable on the Autism Speaks website since May of this year, will be shown at the Sundance Film Festival in a Special Screening. Here is a description from Filmmaker:
“Autism Every Day” takes you inside the lives of families struggling to raise children with autism. It is a gritty, truthful portrayal of the 24 hour a day challenge faced by families as they confront the heartbreak of autism with uncompromising hope and unconditional love. World Premiere.
I am curious as to whether the director, Lauren Thierry, has added any additional footage to convey that “autism every day” can be much more than “heartbreak”; can be a life that is full of new discoveries, of learning, that you might never have imagined. The Los Angeles Times describes the film as “an exploration of the difficulties faced by mothers of autistic children.”
For background on the making of Autism Every Day, go here.
Discussion about Autism Every Day has not been unimpassioned, as you can read here.
Thank you very much for writing about the video here; I have spoken to someone who has viewed the new video and the suggestion is that this fuller view of the joys and the challenges of raising an autistic child are present in this newer version. I hope to be able to see it soon.
Thanks for writing about Conor, too; he and my son are just about the same age.
Hello Kristina
This is one on which we will have to agree to disagree, as you can see by visiting my Facing Autism in New Brunswick blog site.
I have viewed the Autism Every Day video and I think the parents who spoke out about the realities of family life with a severely autistic child, such as my son Conor, have shown great courge and should be applauded. Unlike the commentators on your blog site when I view the short version of the video I see loving caring parents hugging and kissing their children, concerned for their safety and making great sacrifices to give the best possible life they can for their children. My son is a great joy, he lifts my spirits evey day. But he also presents great challenges.
There are more than enough “joy of autism”, “autism is wondeful” “embrace autism” sites on the internet. The world should see the whole picture, the total reality of autism, including the severely autistic.
I do not expect anyone from the “autism acceptance” perspective to change their minds.
Autism Speaks has done a great service by producing this video and the Sundance Film Festival also deserves recognition.
Thank you, hj. The clips on the unstrange.com/bettelheim.html page are very powerful and say more than they appear to.
Thanks, Michele. In particular, I was wondering if footage has been added by director Lauren Thierry to (from the post I wrote) “convey that ‘autism every day’ can be much more than ‘heartbreak.’”
Life with autism, as I try to convey on my Autismland blog, is one grand adventure.
Just to clarify- I am not the person who made or produced the video. I was simply answering a question that was posed on this list (Kristina was wondering if there was additional footage used for the film).
I agree with Kassiane: The first murder video was enough. I just listened to this http://www.unstrange.com/bettelheim.html
and was struck by how the description of the parent was so like Alison Tepper Singer … as she “portrayed” herself in the infamous ‘Autism Speaks’ video. I say portrayed because Singer is quite media savvy and she knew exactly what she was doing throughout her performance. Again, I’ll say that ‘Autism Speaks’ has set the community back 40 years. Again, I ask — where is Tepper Singers’s autistic brother?
The first murder video was enough.
Autism Speaks doesn’t speak for me. I’m autistic and *I* speak for me.
If I were to spend the money to GO there (because, like, we don’t all have daddy’s bank account, Alison muder-singer’s expense account, or the wright’s paying for everything) it would be to protest, not to watch that filth.
Bet you didn’t ask ANY adult autistics. Not a single one.
And I KNOW you didn’t apologize to every. single. one. you offended. Or to Katie McCarron. And her father. And her grandparents. And to the families who CARED of the other autistics killed immediately after that piece of garbage was released.
The film it was filmed upon is only good for toilet paper.
Michele, thanks so much. When were you able to see the new version? The critical analysis I am working on will be on the first version that is currently on the Autism Speaks website unless I might be able to view the new, longer version.
Yes, it is a world premiere. It is not the same video that is on the autism speaks webpage. This video is an hour long, and it includes 8 families (not 5). Over 50 hours of additional footage was filmed. There are moms & dads, and children ranging from age 3 – all the way up to teenage years. The film is great. Maybe you should wait to see it, before you criticize it. Just a thought.
I am planning to watch the video again and write an analysis of it….trying to think of the best angle for this.
I just despair at the regimen of Satan
But pornography sells.
This is pornography or the worst kind.
So how do we contact the sundance people and tell them it ain’t no premeire, it’s been up for over a year, it’s NOT autism “everyday”, it’s autism everyday you intentionally break up kids’ routines, and that they’re contributing to murder rates?
Money grubbing whores….
Kassiane, who has a much BETTER film for sundance, but isnt RICH like Alison Murder-Singer