Adam Larsen, Director of the documentary Neurotypical will be answering your questions in a live chat on Tuesday, July 30th, 2013, from 2-3:30PM ET (11AM-12:30PM PT), the day after broadcast. He will be joined by Neurotypical Producer and Autism Therapist Ron Larsen, and autistic film subject Wolf Dunaway.
Neurotypical is an unprecedented exploration of autism from the point of view of autistic people themselves. Four-year-old Violet, teenaged Nicholas and adult Paula occupy different positions on the autism spectrum, but they are all at pivotal moments in their lives. How they and the people around them work out their perceptual and behavioral differences becomes a remarkable reflection of the “neurotypical” world — the world of the non-autistic — revealing inventive adaptations on each side and an emerging critique of both what it means to be normal and what it means to be human.
As Larsen recently explained to POV,
As Neurotypical was my first film, I was mostly a one-man band. I operated the camera, sound and lights, while my father often did the interviewing. I worried about these limitations, but I came to realize that without the distractions of a crew or cumbersome equipment, a very comfortable setting and intimate rapport was being established. I had seen too many films that seemed bent on showing autistics falling apart. I was more interested in creating an environment where the subjects were my partners. I was sensitive to their preferences, arranging the equipment, the lighting and the microphones in ways that were accommodating.
Here’s an overview of the live chat:
When: Tuesday, July 30th, 2013, from 2-3:30PM ET (11AM-12:30PM PT). If you can’t make it, you can send in your questions ahead of time by writing a comment below.
Who: Director Adam Larsen, Producer/ Therapist Ron Larsen and autistic film subject Wolf Dunaway will be the guests.
How: To join, visit the chat on the Neurotypical companion website or POV’s Facebook page. To view an archived transcript of the conversation, visit the Neurotypical companion website after the chat on July 31.
On July 29, 2013 at 10 PM, POV will present the national broadcast premiere of Neurotypical on PBS (Check local listings). The film will be available for streaming on the POV website starting July 30, 2013 through August 28, 2013.
For updates on the 2013 season of POV, subscribe to POV’s documentary blog, like POV on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @povdocs.
