Film about Ethan Saylor case gets a screening

by the Associated Press from The Washington Post:
FREDERICK, Md. — A documentary filmmaker is providing a preview in Frederick of his movie about the death in custody of a man with Down syndrome.
The Arc of Frederick County says Edward Rhodes is screening a short-form, rough cut of the film Wednesday night at the organization’s office.
Rhodes is from Martinsburg, West Virginia.
The project stems from the death in January 2013 of Robert Ethan Saylor, a 26-year-old man with Down syndrome from New Market.
Saylor suffocated to death as three Frederick County sheriff’s deputies, moonlighting as mall security officers, tried to remove him from a Frederick movie theater because he hadn’t purchased a ticket for a second viewing of the movie, “Zero Dark Thirty.”
A Frederick County grand jury declined to indict the deputies.

Dallas Filmmaker Chris Dowling on Accidentally Writing a Movie About Down Syndrome

by Lauren Smart from The Dallas Observer The Mixmaster:
When Chris Dowling began writing his film Produce, he didn't know he was writing a film about down syndrome.
"I wanted to write a story about faith," he says. "And then as I was working on the film's narrative, I realized there had to be a character with this childlike faith and so I ended up writing a young man with down syndrome."
When I speak with Dowling, the Dallas native is rushing to get through the final stages of production on his second full-length film, which premieres at the Dallas International Film Festival at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, April 6 with a repeat screening Monday, April 7 at 1 p.m.
The movie follows Calvin, a professional baseball player forced into an early retirement in Kentucky, where he struggles to raise a teenage daughter. Like most films about washed-up sports players, Calvin hits rock bottom, which is when he meets a kid with Down syndrome nicknamed Produce, because he works at the local grocery store. The rest of the film, predictably, is about Calvin's redemption. What's not predictable about this film is that in role of Produce, Dowling chose to cast an actor with Down syndrome.
"Usually filmmakers cast someone to play Down syndrome, but as I began to research the disability, I didn't want to do the story an injustice. I didn't want it to feel contrived," Dowling says. "It might be the most lines an actor with Down syndrome has ever had in a film, but the only limitation that people with Down syndrome have are the ones we put on them."

Father's Beautiful Journey With Son Who Has Down Syndrome Will Make Your Heart Soar

by Ron Dicker from The Huffington Post:
When doctors told Pablo Poncini his son may have Down syndrome, he said he fainted.
"Everything seemed to have gone wrong," he recalls in the short film (above). "It was as if the road we had started as a family had come to an end."
But the father has come a long way since then, and "The 1,000 Miles Of Luca" strives to show bits of Poncini's emotional awakening.
"Little by little, the Down syndrome disappeared and Luca appeared," the father recounts tenderly in the clip.
Poncini, an Argentine ad man, takes viewers on an 8-minute journey of bonding with his boy by using a car rally as a backdrop. Poncini gets to the heart of the matter frankly and eloquently.
"We realized that it wasn't really a problem," he says. "It wasn't a serious problem, nor was it a problem at all. We just had to get used to something different."
According to the Ads of the World description, Poncini's Buenos Aires agency was assigned to create a campaign to promote "the inclusion of people with disabilities."
Luckily for viewers, Poncini took it personally and had the camera turned on him and Luca.

Actor with special needs from W. Stockbridge overcomes challenges, achieves goals

  by Jenn Smith from the Berkshire Eagle: NORTH ADAMS -- He's not Santa Claus, but a young man named Peter Johnson brought a whole lot of hope and holiday cheer to a movie theater full of fans over the weekend. Johnson, now 26, of Scituate and West Stockbridge, has a leading role in a 2007 holiday family film called "The Child King." The film was part of a special presentation organized by United Cerebral Palsy of Berkshire County and the North Adams Movieplex, which donated the use of the theater and some popcorn for the nearly 70 people who attended the screening. "The Child King" chronicles the story of an older brother, Jeremy West (Johnson), who is determined to prove the existence of Santa Claus to his younger brother Jarrett (Will Kellem), resulting in a memorable road trip full of adventure, personal discovery and a little holiday magic. What makes this film -- produced by Massachusetts-based brothers Jeff and Frank Kerr -- unique, is that it's one of the few feature-length films out there to feature an actor and leading character with Down syndrome.
Down syndrome is a genetic condition through which a baby inherits an extra chromosome. The extra genetic material can cause both physical and mental developmental delays in a person, varying their levels of ability. Approximately one in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, according to the National Down Syndrome Society. "My focus for this film and for being here today is just strictly for the special needs community and to spread awareness," Johnson told The Eagle after the screening. Johnson was nearly 17 at the time when the Kerrs began making the film -- a whole other story in itself (thechildking.com/about.html). "When I first met Peter, I had my doubts," director Frank Kerr told The Boston Globe in a 2007 article about the film. "A lead actor with Down syndrome? Could he carry off his lines? Hit his marks? Wait for cues? Interact with other actors? Those aren't the easiest things to do and still be comfortable in front of a camera. But Peter loosened up as we went along and did a wonderful job." Johnson told The Eagle that "the thing about people with special needs is not about the abilities they don't have but about the dedication they do have and people's feelings inside." He said both in the film and in real life, some people look at people with Down syndrome and think or call a person with Down syndrome "stupid." "I don't like the word and I think it's unacceptable to say to a special needs person," Johnson said. In the film, his character Jeremy also successfully stands up to bullies who judge his intelligence. He says at times, Peter Johnson said he feels "trapped in my skin" but continues to set and work hard to achieve life goals. Johnson gives his parents, Jane and Charlie Johnson a lot of credit for their support -- "They've been with me for so long even when I wake up at night going through all the things that I feel." The Johnson family also gives credit to a lot of support from community-based programs, like Friendship Home Inc. in Norwell, where Peter goes to a day program to learn and practice job and life skills. Peter has been working out at and working for the health and well-being center and his local YMCA since 2002. He also works as a host at an Irish pub in Norwell called The Tinker's Son. "Job coaching and having an intermediary between an employer and family is helpful," Charlie Johnson said. After Saturday's film screening, Peter went to the UCP offices in North Adams for a reception luncheon, where he was greeted with applause and hugs from fans, like Louisa Millonzi of Riverbrook in Stockbridge. Erin Cote, assistant director of individual and family support services for UCP-Berkshire, said this was the first inclusive film screening event of its kind the organization has hosted. "I think a lot of the guys here especially are excited to see a guy with disabilities playing a guy with disabilities in a movie. They don't get to see someone like that often," she said. Peter Johnson said his advice to other people with special needs working toward life goals is to "do what your heart wants to do and go with your stomach. There are more possibilities out there. The more people talk to [people with special needs] the more they will see this." To reach Jenn Smith:
jsmith@berkshireeagle.com,
or (413) 496-6239.
On Twitter: @JennSmith_Ink More information To learn more about UCP of the Berkshires, visit ucpberkshire.org or call (413) 442-1562. To learn more about "The Child King" film and The Child King Foundation, the Massachusetts nonprofit that gives grants to organizations supporting people with disabilities, visit thechildking.com.

actor with Down syndrome to star in Bollywood film

by Shivani Mankermi from the Daily Mail:

Mumbai-based Abuli Mamaji has from Down syndrome, but that isn't stopping him from starring in a forthcoming Bollywood film.

Abuli will be playing a character close to his real self on screen. Director Nikhil Pherwani has cast him as a protagonist with the genetic disorder, in his film tentatively titled Ahaan.

While films based on various illnesses have lately become popular in Bollywood, this is probably the first time that a person suffering from an illness has been cast to play the character on screen.

"The film is about a new beginning for Ahaan, the character played by Abuli. The message I want to give through the unusual subject is that we should not shun the special adults in our society," Nikhil said.

I Am Not Invisible

Hi - my name is Erin Corrado and I'm a Toronto filmmaker.  My first short film called 2054 played at the Planet in Focus film festival in Toronto in 2007.  After making shorts for years, I have now completed my first feature documentary which is what I'd like to talk to you about today.  

It's called I Am Not Invisible and you can check out the official site here: http://iamnotinvisiblefilm.wordpress.com/

I Am Not Invisible is about a 20-year-old Toronto woman named Nicole Flynn.  Nicole is an athlete with over 50 gold medals in synchronized swimming, a wildlife photographer, and public speaker.  And she also happens to have Down Syndrome.  This 68 minute documentary is a look at her life and accomplishments.  

We've just launched a crowdfunding campaign, and it would be great if you would consider writing a post about the film, sharing it with your followers, or even checking out the donation page yourself.  http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i-am-not-invisible/

I am open to doing interviews about the film as well.  

Thanks in advanced for taking time out of your busy schedule to check out the film, and feel free to let me know if there's any questions you may have.  

Have a great day!  

Erin

--

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i-am-not-invisible

https://twitter.com/IANIFilm

http://iamnotinvisiblefilm.wordpress.com/

Stamford teen wins award for film on Down syndrome

from The Stamford Times:
A Stamford senior has won a prestigious award for a documentary film she created about the impact of Down syndrome in people’s lives.
Erin Manning, a senior at the Convent of the Sacred Heart (CSH) in Greenwich, won a Silver Key Award in the film and animation category of the 24th Annual Connecticut Regional Scholastic Arts Awards for her documentary, “Unexpected Gifts.”
The Connecticut Regional Scholastic Art Awards is the largest juried student art exhibition in the state."Erin worked for many months in spring of 2012 to prepare her documentary about the families of children who have Down syndrome," said Ellyn Stewart, Erin's teacher in the broadcast journalism program at CSH. "It is a testament to Erin’s strong spirit and compassion that the mothers and fathers in these families were incredibly honest and open with her about the ways that having a child with Down syndrome profoundly changed their lives."Erin interviewed families in Stamford and throughout Fairfield County for her documentary.She said that the documentary had a more lasting impact on her life than she initially anticipated.“I didn’t expect this topic to have such an impact in my own life,” she said. “I wasn’t aware of this community before producing this piece, but now I’m continuing to research this topic. Most recently, I chose Down syndrome as the topic for my Senior Seminar final paper.“So far,” she said, “my exposure to this topic has been on a local, personal level; however, through this paper, I will research and learn about the impact that Down syndrome has on the greater community.”Erin has been a member of CSH’s broadcast journalism program for four years, serving in various roles.She is currently executive producer of “Today from the Heart,” the school’s monthly news show.Last year, she won recognition for an animated short film, “Lightworks,” in the Greenwich Youth Film Festival and Westport Youth Film Festival.Broadcast journalism at CSH is an award-winning program that teaches students hands-on skills that transcend the typical classroom experience.Students learn writing, speaking and presentation skills while operating cutting-edge technology. Students in the class produce a news show, documentaries and other video projects.The students’ work culminates in a film festival each year.Visitors are welcome to view Erin’s documentary at this year’s CSH Film Festival on April 11 at 6 p.m. in the Lennie and John de Csepel Theater at Convent of the Sacred Heart, 1177 King St., Greenwich.

Come to Brazil, Sean Penn! Brazilian filmmaker with Down Syndrome makes pitch to Penn

by William K. Wolfrum from dag blog:
Brazilian actor/filmmaker Ariel Goldemberg was born with two things – Down Syndrome and a love of cinema. The cinemaphile has finished his first movie, which combines these things – the critically acclaimed “Colega” – and is now after the finishing touch for his movie – to have his hero Sean Penn watch the movie with him.
The film is about three friends with Down Syndrome who break out of the institution they are living at, and go on an adventure that teaches them about life and that there are no boundaries in their way to live a full one.
Goldemberg made the above video in his pitch to get Penn to come to Brazil to has been viewed more than 1.2 million times, and includes pleas from Brazilian stars Neymar, Juliana Paes, Xuxa, and others. The video has spawned the Twitter hashtag #VEMSEANPENN.
“Colegas” will premiere in Brazil on March 1, and Goldemberg and his growing fan base are hoping against hope that the talented and eclectic Penn will be there. So pass it around, let’s help a young filmmaker meet his biggest inspiration.
Vem Sean Penn!

"Any Day Now" true story film about a gay man adopting a boy with Down syndrome in 1979

by Gregg Shapiro from GA Voice:
This year ends on an especially high note for LGBT film with “Any Day Now” (Music Box Films), starring out actor Alan Cumming as Rudy, a gay West Hollywood man who must deal with a prejudicial and antiquated court system as he attempts to adopt a boy with Down syndrome in 1979.
Cumming gives the performance of his career and even has the opportunity to sing a couple of numbers in the movie.
“Any Day Now” is written and directed by straight filmmaker Travis Fine, an Atlanta native, based on an original screenplay by George Arthur Bloom.
“There was something that drew me to this notion of this outsider trying to raise this child, trying to save this child — the Rudy character and the young boy being outsiders,” Fine says, noting that he added the character of Paul, Rudy’s closeted partner, who was not in the original script.
“There was also something in the situation that moved me as a parent,” he says. “I wasn’t exactly quite sure why it spoke to me, but it did in a deep profound way.”
The film is set in 1979 West Hollywood, but could just as easily have taken place in 1989 or 1999. Fine said he chose to keep the earlier time period because the original screenplay was based on a true story, and to explore “the gritty, character-driven” style of 1970s cinema.
“From a political point of view, the story would be different, certainly in Los Angeles in 2009 or 2012,” Fine says. “But as we all know, there are still certain places, even within this country, where the story wouldn’t be that much different. There would be some of the same challenges and hurdles and obstacles.”
Fine says he was thrilled to have openly gay actor Alan Cuming in the lead role.
“As a straight filmmaker who had the honor of telling an important, profound and moving story about a chapter in the late ‘70s of the LGBT movement, it was incredibly important to have Alan take on that role,” Fine says.
“Not only is Alan a sensational actor, an incredible talent and a wonderful human being, but he’s an OBE, an Order of the British Empire, knighted by  the Queen for his work on LGBT rights and equality,” he says. “He is not just giving lip service to equality. He has fought that fight and been a vocal champion and proponent of equality and LGB T rights.”
Rudy begins carrying for Marco, a teen with Down Syndrome, after he visits a neighboring apartment to complain about noise and finds the young man abandoned by his mother. Isaac Levya’s performance as Marco is “brilliant,” Fine says, noting that he edited the character to fit the actor.
“We put out a nationwide search for the kid, both through traditional agents and managers and casting directors around the country and also through the Down Syndrome Associations all  around the country,” Fine says.
“We saw people as young as 12 and 13 and some that were  as old as their mid-20s. Isaac, from his very first reading which I saw on my computer, his first audition tape, there was something so charming, so sweet and honest about his performance,” he says. “It didn’t feel like acting.”
“Any Day Now” has won several awards at film festivals, has crossover appeal and the potential to be remembered fondly at Oscar time. As the film heads to wider release this month, “I hope the audiences find it,” Fine says.
“While it can be challenging to sit through at times, and it certainly covers some heavy political and emotional and personal issues, it is ultimately a crowd pleaser.”
The movie opens December 21.

Top photo: ‘Any Day Now’ stars Alan Cumming (right) as Rudy, a gay man who wants to adopt Marco, a boy with Down Syndrome, played by Isaac Levya (center). Garret Dillahunt (left) is Rudy’s closeted partner, Paul. (Publicity photo via Facebook)

Life after Depp: Vanessa Paradis in moving film about mothering boy with Down syndrome

from Fox News:
Vanessa Paradis' longtime relationship with Johnny Depp might be done and dusted, but her career is on the upswing.
The French singer/actress is preparing for the U.S. debut of the drama “Café de Flore,” in which she plays a working class woman in 1960’s Paris who is abandoned by her husband after giving birth to a son with Down Syndrome. Brushing off the prejudices and cultural stereotypes of the era, Jacqueline seeks to give her son Laurent as normal a life as possible.
“I was completely taken by the script, it was impossible to say no. Those roles just don’t come often, a beauty and a monster in one person,” Paradis told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column.
The emotional role also gave the 39-year-old a deeper appreciation and affection toward those with disabilities.
“He was so smart and charismatic, we had such a strong connection and there was so much intensity, generosity and grace,” she said of Marin Gerrier, the young co-star with Down Syndrome."He is such a beautiful little boy, really quick and sharp.”
And although her character develops a somewhat unhealthy love and obsession with her child, Paradis – who has a daughter Lily Rose, 13, and a son Jack, 10, with Depp – was able to bring her own intense mothering instincts into the role.
“It’s a very natural thing (to develop an obsession with your children),” she said. “Some people are better at holding back than others.”
And Paradis has just one hope for audiences as they leave the theater.
“Hug your loved ones,” she stressed.
Hailed for its unique storyline, “Café de Flore” has attracted mostly positive reviews at movie aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, with Paradis’s acting chops praised by critics. Yet despite her growing list of accolades, rave reviews and the 14 years she spent  in the spotlight as the partner of one of the entertainment industry’s biggest names, the very famous French face has so far resisted a cross over to the Hollywood arena.
“I have never done a Hollywood film,” she said simply. “I can imagine the budgets are much bigger than in France, but I’ve never made one.”
Yet she does have a very clear vision of what she looks for in roles these days, and won’t sign on to just anything.
“I need to be swept off my feet, something that makes me dream and vibrate,” she added. “Roles that do that don’t come often. When I read the script, I need to be passionate about it.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/10/30/life-after-depp-vanessa-paradis-in-moving-film-about-mothering-boy-with-down/#ixzz2An1KU1cA

Just Like You–Down Syndrome: A Big Message in 13 Minutes

By Abby Eden of Fox 4 KC:
The movie is called Just Like You-Down Syndrome. It’s the third in a series of Just Like You Films, made in the metro that aims to educate others about a unique situation. The latest focuses on Down Syndrome.
Hundreds of fans lined up Monday night, waiting to see the stars of the movie. What emerged weren’t the pouting faces of starlets, but the glowing faces of teenagers on a mission.
“I just wanted to encourage others to be friends with someone who has Down Syndrome because it really is a life-changing experience,” said Bobby Engen.
These best friends wanted to tell other people what it’s like to be a teenager with Down Syndrome. They’re spreading the message with the help of Just Like You films and the Down Syndrome Guild.
“The mission of Just Like You Films is to educate kids and other kids about unique circumstances that they may not otherwise know about,” said Jen Greenstreet, owner of Just Like You Films.
Their 13-minute film is expected to be shown across the country, even the world, and they’re enjoying their first night as movie stars.
“It’s amazing,” said Elyssa Schmitz.
It all started with the story of six best friends who decided to tell the world how much they’re “just like you”.  The funding for the movie came from private donations. It took two years to make.

India's official film for the World Down Syndrome Congress 2012

from CurleyStreetMedia on YouTube:
"The Indelible trailer is an introduction to a feature length documentary that tells the inspiring stories of seven people with Down Syndrome in India. This short version of the film has been created specifically for the World Down Syndrome Congress in South Africa. This is the official film for the Downs Federation of India."

Norway's Breien to shoot Down's Detective in Prague

from Screen Daily by Wendy Mitchell:
Norwegian director Bard Breien will shoot his second feature The Down’s Detective in the Czech Republic, it was announced yesterday at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
The film is a Norwegian-Czech-Danish-German co-production, and it will start shooting in late August.
The story is about a man with Down’s syndrome who wants to be a private detective. He has to pursue a former ice-skating legend who is now down on his luck. Svein Andre Hofso, who has Down’s syndrome, will play the lead [he is pictured in character].
Breien, who also wrote the script, said: “I want to tell an entertaining, exciting and touching story that will challenge the audience. It will be an adventure with one foot planted firmly in a well-known genre where a lonely private detective has to solve a mystery in a cold, dark and hostile world, while the other foot sets out in a completely unknown direction. The Down’s Detective is a film that sparkles with laughter as well as strong emotions, while the whole story and the main protagonist in particular are constantly balancing on the thin edge between tragedy and comedy.”
Producer Pål Røed added: “Just before Christmas 2011, we set off to scout the Czech Republic and Hungary as potential destinations. We were hoping that financial possibilities, lower production costs and different locations would enable us to make The Down’s Detective in a better way than back home. We knew that Bård had a name in the Czech Republic, but after one intense day in Prague, we realized how strong the Czechs felt about his film, his humour and his writing style. It did not take long before we cancelled our trip to Hungary, stayed a few more days in Prague and decided to make the film in the Czech Republic.”
Prague will stand in for Oslo in the film.
Friland’s production partners are Nimbus (Denmark), Unafilm (Germany) and Evolution Films (Czech Republic).
TrustNordisk will handle international sales and Cinemart has Czech rights.
The film has received financial support from the Norwegian Film Institute, the Nordic Film and Television Fund, the Danish Film Institute, the Czech State Fund for the Support and Development of Czech Cinema, and Eurimage.
“We are truly grateful for the support we have received in the Czech Republic. The Czech State Fund for the Support and Development of Czech Cinema really understands the potential of Bard Breien’s second film. It is a great honour for our company as well as for Czech cinema to be part of such a significant film project”, said Evolution Films’ producer Pavel Berčík.
Breiein’s first film The Art of Negative Thinking won the best director prize at KVIFF in 2007. The film went on to win the Czech Lion for best foreign film and then was adapted as a stage production.

movie "Anita" about a young Argentine woman who has Down syndrome

from mvtimes.com:

The Martha's Vineyard Summer Institute will play "Anita," about the misadventures of a young Argentine woman who has Down syndrome, on Sunday, July 24.

Summer Institute's "Anita"

Set in Buenos Aires, "Anita" is a compelling portrait of a young woman with Down syndrome who lives with her mother until an anti-Jewish bombing disrupts their lives. As played with poise and sincerity by Alejandra Manzo, Anita is well loved and cared for by Dora (Norma Aleandro, nominated for an Oscar in "Gaby, A True Story").

Bombing of the nearby Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) in 1994, an event that actually took place, leaves Anita disoriented and alone. Wandering the streets of a city that has the largest Jewish population in South America, and unable to communicate adequately what has happened to her, she befriends a variety of people who temporarily take her under their wings.

First comes Felix (Luis Luque), an alcoholic photographer with a host of problems who reluctantly brings Anita home for the night and, to his surprise, helps her bathe. Meanwhile, Anita's brother Ariel (Peto Menahem) and his wife are desperately searching for Anita.

Felix decides to bus Anita to a mental hospital, drops her off, but doesn't stick around. Hunger eventually spurs Anita to enter a little Asian market, where she picks out some food but has no money.

Eventually the irritated woman who runs the market relents and takes in Anita. Anita happily settles there until an attempted robbery scares her away. She bumps into her would-be buddy Felix again, who delivers her to his sister.

In each case, Anita's naturalness and simplicity bring out a touch of humanity lurking in the strangers she befriends. When she is finally reunited with Ariel, she happily climbs into his car and heads home to deal with what has happened to their mother.

"Anita" illustrates the resourcefulness and innate intelligence of an individual with Down syndrome.  Director Marcos Carnevale tells Anita's unusual story with tenderness and subtlety.

In ‘Girlfriend’ Evan Sneider plays a character much like himself

 

from The Jewish Week:

Three years ago, when Justin Lerner decided to give his friend, Evan Sneider, an actor with Down syndrome, a small role in his master’s thesis film, he did not know Sneider would eventually become critical to the launch of his own career.

“I put Evan in it as a kind of friendly gesture,” Lerner said. The role Sneider played, the mean boss of the protagonist, wasn’t written for someone with Down syndrome. But Lerner felt that an actor with the condition could, if talented enough, play the role perfectly well.

“Evan was in the movie for two scenes, but he blew me away,” said Jerad Anderson, a film producer who saw Lerner’s thesis film, “The Replacement Child,” in 2008. It won a flurry of student awards, and went on to screen at many film festivals, including Sundance.

Anderson immediately wanted to make a new film with Lerner, and had an idea for a deadpan comedy along the lines of “Napoleon Dynamite,” featuring a character with Down syndrome. But after talking with Lerner, Anderson shelved the plan.

“We should make a film about Evan,” Lerner remembers him and Anderson thinking. “We just hit the ‘Go’ button,” Anderson said, following him up.

The result is “Girlfriend,” which makes its New York premiere this week after a highly praised showing at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

“Girlfriend” follows Evan Gray, a character loosely based on Sneider, a Jewish actor with Down syndrome, as he courts Candy, the girl of his dreams. A single mother struggling to pay her rent, Candy plays along with Evan’s romantic fantasy, though never quite giving in. Her motive his clear: Evan is willing to give her money, the one thing she desperately needs.

“I’ve always loved acting, and I’ve always been involved in community theater,” said Sneider. “But working on ‘Girlfriend was a lot of fun, too.”

As with Lerner, 31, this is Sneider’s first feature-length film. Yet Sneider knows that having Down syndrome has limited the roles mainstream directors are willing to cast him in.

“To be honest, I’ve always been open minded and would like to play many roles,” Sneider said, meaning roles where Down syndrome was not part of the character. “I’m honored for what Justin did for me.”

Lerner makes it clear that Sneider’s character in “Girlfriend” does not need to have Down syndrome.

For Lerner, the challenge of making “Girlfriend” was to show how the character’s condition affected people’s perceptions of him —usually they underestimate his intelligence — without mindlessly perpetuating those perceptions himself.

“I don’t find films that have a social agenda interesting,” Lerner, the film’s writer and director, said. “They’re like Hallmark movies” — which is to say preachy and superficially uplifting.

“He’s as high functioning as they come,” Lerner said of Sneider. “He’s very self-aware; he knows he has Down syndrome … But the thing that makes Evan so unique is that he can empathize with anyone. He can understand how people are feeling better than anyone else.”

As far as Sneider’s acting went, his ability to empathize proved critical to his performance. His role required him to read an actor’s subtle cues — often wordless, and conveyed through facial expressions alone — which he intuitively had to react to.

Sneider would sometimes channel emotions he’s felt in real life to make his performance look more natural. “That’s a technique that only the best actors can pull off,” Lerner said. “His instincts are right on.”

There is nothing in the film about Evan’s character being Jewish. But the person upon whom the character is based — that is, Evan Sneider, the real person — says his Jewish upbringing is critical to him. “I haven’t been praying recently,” Sneider said, “but Judaism really means a lot to me.”

Sneider grew up in a Reform household in Wayland, Mass. Because he was highly functioning, his mother Donna made a point of keeping him in regular classroom settings — both in public school and Hebrew school.

Watching his older sister’s bat mitzvah was a significant moment: “Seeing his sister do it,” said Donna Sneider, “he was really looking forward to it. Experiencing his bar mitzvah was really important for Evan.”

Throughout high school Sneider took it upon himself to participate fully in school life: he ran for student council and won, asked his own date to prom and even picked on the new kid — Justin Lerner — who arrived in 11th grade.

“He definitely got the opportunity to haze me in front of everyone,” Lerner remembered, adding, “It wasn’t malicious in any way.”

Lerner and Sneider soon became friends and took electives together, like creative writing. But it was not until years later that their relationship became professional. While Lerner was in The University of California Los Angeles’ film school, he’d occasionally get calls from Sneider: “He would call me and ask, ‘You know, Justin, if you ever need a role, I’m around.’” Lerner recalled.

When it came time to make his master’s thesis project, Lerner was back in Massachusetts looking for actors. He let Sneider audition for a supporting role, and, realizing he really could act, put him in the film.

After Anderson approached Lerner about making another film featuring Sneider, they created “Girlfriend.” Soon they had a hit on their hands, with Sneider again becoming a star: “He even got us into some parties,” Anderson recalled. “He was a celebrity there.”

Of the roughly 350 films screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, only 15 were bought for wider distribution, “Girlfriend” among them. But not all of the reaction was positive. While Anderson was trying to raise money for the film over the Internet, a few anonymous writers posted nasty comments about Sneider on the website.

Evan’s mother, Donna, who lives with him in Massachusetts, remembers seeing Evan after he saw the comments — he was hurt, she said. She tried to console him, using the Holocaust and hate speech as analogies. “On the Internet, in private and anonymity,” Donna told her son, “they say mean things. They’re just cowards.”

But it was the “Girlfriend” film crew that ultimately lifted Evan’s mood. A few of the producers saw the comments, too, and knew Sneider was hurt by them. Later, when they all were reunited in Toronto, they gave him a binder with hundreds of personal letters supporting him — from the cast, friends, new fans and even Sylvester Stallone.

Student wtih Down syndrome's attempt to attend art class

From therepublic.com:

When Chapman University filmmaking student Ruby Stocking graduated from Ashland High School in 2008, she had never met Eliza Schaaf, a classmate with Down syndrome.

Three years later, Schaaf's battle to attend a ceramics course at Ashland's Southern Oregon University became the topic of a documentary by Stocking and three other students at Chapman in Orange, Calif.

"Originally, going into the project we were hoping to make a film about SOU and its impact on Eliza having been withdrawn from the ceramics course," Stocking said. "We just realized there was a greater story within the SOU clash with Eliza, that story being inclusion and whether or not someone who is disabled should be included in society or whether they should be separated."

The documentary has been nominated for the university's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Cecil Award for Best Documentary. It also will be entered into at least five film festivals.

Last fall, Schaaf enrolled in a college-level ceramics class as a non-admitted student at SOU. Non-admitted students may enroll in up to eight credits of classes but don't earn credit toward a degree. Midway through, the SOU administration decided to drop Schaaf from the class.

The university said Schaaf required excessive supervision and one-on-one attention that limited the instructor's ability to interact with the rest of the class. Schaaf's classmates signed a petition stating that Schaaf did not interfere with their ability to learn and asking that she be reinstated.

Schaaf's family has appealed the decision to the Oregon University System, which so far has upheld it.

Stocking heard about the story from a friend on Facebook around the time when she and classmates Bobby Moser, James Parker and Virginia Thomasi were looking for a topic on which to make a documentary for their Chapman class called Community Voices.

The documentary project was expected to highlight a social justice issue for an Orange County organization. The Dhont Family Foundation funds the student-made documentaries each year.

When the group contacted the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, it learned the association already knew Schaaf's story, as it had gone viral among the Down syndrome community.

For eight days in February and March, the four students filmed Schaaf working out at the Ashland Family YMCA, volunteering at the Ashland Emergency Food Bank and doing other daily activities. They also collected home videos of Schaaf and interviewed her, her family and classmates.

"I thought the documentary would be a collection of activities and all the things Eliza can do and that it would downplay the SOU issue," said Deb Evans, Schaaf's mother. "They wove the story about her experience at SOU into a look at her life through her family and through who she is.

"They presented Eliza's story in a way that opens a dialogue," Evans said. "I think they've done that brilliantly."

From kindergarten until Nov. 8 when SOU dropped her from the ceramics class, Schaaf had been included in general education classes with her typically developed peers, Evans said. She earned a modified diploma from AHS last June and wanted to join her classmates in the next step, college, where she wanted to study art and photography.

Stocking said she and her classmates traveled to Oregon three times for the filming. The time they spent together sealed a close friendship between Schaaf and Stocking, the filmmaker said.

Stocking said she thinks SOU's decision to withdraw Schaaf was wrong, but she acknowledges some people might disagree.

"I never thought about inclusion within the disabled population," Stocking said. "It caused me to examine myself and to examine others."

The crew did not include SOU's perspective in the documentary, because they were denied an interview.

Jim Beaver, a SOU spokesman, said he had not seen the documentary and could not comment on it.

"We were approached by some people who wanted to make a documentary," Beaver said. "They asked to speak to the president and gave us some tentative dates, but she was not available. Even if she had been available, she couldn't have said anything" because of federal law that prohibits disclosing information about students without their permission, he said.