Young people from military families who have autism are getting the chance to appear at this years San Diego Film Festival.
50 budding actors, directors, cameramen, editors, scriptwriters and set designers took part in a two-week film camp for autistic children in San Diego. A short film created during the camp premieres at the San Diego Film Festival on October 4th, from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the Reading Theater downtown.
Friday October 4, 2013 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Reading Theater (701 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101)
The Autism Film Program for Military Children teaches people ages 9 to 21 about all aspects of filmmaking, including writing scripts, building sets, operating a camera and editing film.
The project is under the umbrella of the "Inclusion Network", and Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson, executive director of the nonprofit support group Autism Care and Treatment Today, believes its only right to give something back to the military.
Oftentimes, when the parent deploys on military operations, it creates a great deal of stress for autistic children, said Alspaugh-Jackson, whose son has autism.
Change is very disruptive for a child with autism, as it creates anxiety, she said. When I met Hollywood filmmaker Joey Travolta and learned about what he does in support of young people, we decided to put together these camps. They give amazing social skills in terms of interaction.
We have such respect for the military for its role in looking after us. The very least we can do is give something back, especially if servicemen or women have a child with autism.
Travolta, who teaches at the camp, breaks the children up into groups who work with teachers who have filmmaking backgrounds. They work together to write scripts, audition and interview people for posts, create and select props, and film and edit material.
Read more:
Lights, Camera, Action for Autism!