2007 film
Autism: The Musical
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Promotional poster
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Directed by
| Tricia Regan
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Written by
| Tricia Regan
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Produced by
| Tricia Regan
Sasha Alpert
Perrin Chiles
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Starring
| Henry Stills
Joseph Rainbow
Wyatt O'Neil
Neal Goldberg
Adam Walden
Cody Massey
Shane Doherty
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Cinematography
| Tricia Regan
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Edited by
| Kim Roberts
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Music by
| Mike Semple
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Production
company
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Distributed by
| HBO Documentary Films
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Release date
|
- April 18, 2007
(
2007-04-18
)
[1]
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Running time
| 94 minutes
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Language
| English
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Autism: The Musical
is an
independent
documentary film
directed by Tricia Regan. In April 2007, the film premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival
in
New York City
. The film recounts six months of the lives of five children who are on the
autism spectrum
in
Los Angeles
,
California
as they write and rehearse for an original
stage
production.
Synopsis
[
edit
]
The film recounts six months in the lives of five autistic children and their parents in
Los Angeles
,
California
as their children write and rehearse for an original stage production.
[2]
The children featured in the film have one or more things they excel at doing if only given the training they need to communicate and develop those skills.
Several of the parents appearing in the film are well known in their own right, such as
Rosanne Katon
and
Stephen Stills
. They and the other parents round out a cast of real-life parents struggling with their strained marriages while dealing with the sometimes overwhelming needs of their children with autism.
Production
[
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]
An idea for the film was first raised in July 2005, as a potential
48 Hour Film Project
, but did not materialize.
[3]
However, in that same year, noted acting coach
Elaine Hall
founded
The Miracle Project
, a nonprofit,
Sherman Oaks, California
based theater group for children with autism and other disabilities.
[4]
In late 2005, Tricia Regan began filming the six-month rehearsal process at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services recreation room in Los Angeles.
[5]
Regan is said to have collected more than 400 hours of raw material, winnowing the documentary to five complementary family narratives. The title of the film emerged only in the late stages of editing.
In March 2007, reality show producer
Bunim/Murray Productions
expanded its business into films and made
Autism: The Musical
its first acquisition.
[6]
Bunim/Murray Productions came on board toward the end of shooting to join In Effect Films in producing the film.
Distribution
[
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]
After its premiere on April 18, 2007, at
Robert De Niro
's sixth annual
Tribeca Film Festival
,
[1]
the film enjoyed a limited theatrical run in several US cities in 2007.
[7]
Among its many awards, the film received the best documentary award at the 10th annual Newport International Film Festival in June 2007.
[8]
The film was purchased for broadcast beginning March 25, 2008 by
HBO
.
[7]
The film was released on DVD in 2008 by
Docurama Films
.
Accolades
[
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]
On November 19, 2007,
Autism: The Musical
was named by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
as one of 15 films on its documentary feature
Oscar
short list
. The film has won awards at 7 major film festivals in the U.S.
[9]
[10]
Following its television broadcast on HBO, the film garnered two 2008 Emmy awards, for nonfiction film editing as well as
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
.
Sequel
[
edit
]
On April 2, 2020, it was announced that a sequel titled
Autism: The Sequel
will premiere on April 28, 2020.
[11]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Holden, Stephen (April 20, 2007).
"Feast of Serious Cinema; Partygoers Welcome"
.
The New York Times
. p. E1.
- ^
Page, Janice. (November 17, 2007)
Boston Globe
"
Look at autism sings by playing it straight
". Section: LivingArts; Page 5C.
- ^
Hair, Margaret. (July 22, 2005)
Greensboro News & Record
.
Reel Fast: Films created in 48 Hours.
Page D1.
- ^
Ricci, James. (December 31, 2007)
Los Angeles Times
.
New Approach Aids Autistic Children's Rite of Passage.
- ^
Hart, Hugh. (March 23, 2008)
The New York Times
A Season of Song, Dance and Autism.
Section: AR; Page 20.
- ^
Adalian, Josef. (March 19, 2007)
Variety
Reality firm stalks docs.
Section: News; Page 1.
- ^
a
b
Steven Zeitchik (2007-06-06).
"
'Autism: The Musical' to HBO - Entertainment News, Los Angeles, Media"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
2013-10-05
.
- ^
Janusonis, Michael. (June 12, 2007) Providence Journal Bulletin.
Winners of Newport International Film Festival named.
Section: Lifebeat; Page F1.
- ^
The Washington Post
. 2007-11-19
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/19/AR2007111901490.html
. Retrieved
2017-09-20
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
The Hollywood Reporter
Archived
July 5, 2008, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Video: "Autism: The Sequel" - Official Trailer - HBO"
.
The Futon Critic
. April 2, 2020.
Further reading
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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1990s
|
- Vietnam POWs: A Story of Survival
(1998)
- Thug Life in D.C.
(1999)
|
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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