My goodness… and dreams do come true…
I just received the greatest news. The script – Autism The Happy Kingdom – that I submitted to Tagore International Film Festival (TIFF) in Bolpur, India won an OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (feature script category).
This is beyond rewarding. It is the confirmation that I must keep creating and sharing our countless messages.
Autism is opening the doors to express the many realities families like ours face. These realities are not at all the rosy pink fairy tale kind and we take ownership without bitterness. These truths and writing about them and winning awards will help build a platform of progress for all involved.
I remain committed to represent what autism can be all about in our homes. Autism The Happy Kingdom shares one microcosm of the experiences we have survived. I invite all of you, living autism 24/7 or those witnessing it from a distance to keep sharing your highs and lows, concerns, fears, joys. To reach understanding and respect our lives must receive exposure in the media, schools, hospitals and universities. I invite businesses, libraries, schools to host us, the individuals and families living and surviving autism.
This project began in 2015, when Thomais and I were in the midst of serious challenges the diagnosis of autism creates in our households. Medical issues, behaviors, awful school experiences due to lack of personnel training and surviving life in general drove me to write the book – Autism The Happy Kingdom.
The Premise: A royal family and all of its members have the diagnosis. Autism is represented in the many phases of the spectrum (verbal, non-verbal, behavior crisis, sensory issues, odd conversations, brilliance, etc.). The Royals face a major dilemma when the neighboring Kings and Queens refuse to allow their children to play with Princess Rainbow and Prince Lightning. The Royal Family of Autism must decide to remain in their castle or show everyone there is no need to be afraid of being different.
The book exists in digital form – you can obtain it here – ENGLISH and SPANISH
NOTE: I grew up reading Tagore’s stories. For some reason my mom had one of his books and I read it over and over. I always loved how detailed his descriptions were of the people, the scenes and human behavior.
Follow the link: https://filmfreeway.com/
to read about the film festival.
The sole purpose of TIFF is to celebrate the joy of artistic creation in a land of beauty and intellect. Shantiniketan stands testimony to Tagore’s belief that the close connection between man and nature should be the founding principle of knowledge. TIFF showcases an outstanding presentation of independent filmmaking, while also building a strong sense of community around the art of visual storytelling.
