Maya shares her experience of Asperger Syndrome and how that varies against what people think she should be. Whether it’s in films or the media, Not in Nature shines a light on how Maya wants to be treated, posing smart questions to challenge the stereotypes she’s grown up with.
This short film has a fantastic soundtrack and a visually striking style of storytelling that really illustrates how Maya’s life would be different if people didn’t expect her to be something other that what she appears to be!
In Act Natural, we learn what it’s like to have high functioning Autism. Through the eyes and ears of Miles, we see and hear what he’s thinking and how he’s trying to respond. It’s a clever short film that immediately captures what it’s like in Miles’s shoes.
As Miles says, ‘People think that because I find it hard to socialise it’s because I’m not interested in them… but it’s not true.’ This film allows us to see a social interaction through his own experience. It’s a valuable story.
This black and white short film, Through the Window uses animation and illustration to tell the story of a girl who loves books but tires of all the questions around why she is the way she is. We follow her as she tackles society’s labels and opinions, until one day…
I won’t give away the ending. But I will say this: it’s an Australian story inspired by the life of a vision-impaired radio presenter who works at Triple J.
Sharpe Minds is a short film from New Zealand that introduces us to five students who study at Kapiti College with Miss Sharpe. They share the strengths that stem from having different brains and learning styles. Find out what they’re able to do that others can’t.
This story is about nurturing neurodiversity and how lives can be changed for the better when students are supported in school. When each student interviews another, we experience their pride in how far they’ve come working with Miss Sharpe who ‘saved us’. A moving film indeed.