In celebration of April as Autism Awareness month, the Autism Society has launched a public service announcement campaign to increase public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the autism spectrum. Through a long-standing partnership between AMC Theatres)and the Autism Society, AMC will show the PSA during the month of April in all of its locations throughout the country.
In addition, the Autism Society premieres AutFest Film Festival: From Spectrum to Screen,the first international film festival celebrating the role film is now playing in autism awareness, April 22-23, in partnership with AMC Orange 30.
AMC and the Autism Society continue their eight-year partnership through AMC Sensory Friendly Films screenings, providing a welcoming environment for guests on the second and fourth Saturday (family friendly) and Tuesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month. For details: https://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films
The unique animated PSA was created by award winning artist Dani Bowman, herself on the autism spectrum and an accomplished animator. Bowman has premiered 6 award-winning animated short films at San Diego's Comic-Con each year for the past 5 years. Her shorts feature the voices of Joe Mantegna, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), June Foray and Stella Ritter, in addition to other voice actors on the autism spectrum. She also worked closely on Joey Travolta's Inclusion Films.
“Autism Society feels the importance of giving a voice to people with autism. We are honored that Dani Bowman, a supremely talented young animator who is also autistic has created this PSA reflecting our desire to help all people with autism live a life of dignity and respect.,” said Matthew Asner, Autism Society VP of Development. “We are proud of Dani and grateful for our partnership with AMC Theaters for allowing our voice to be shared.”
Nine feature-length films and six shorts are slated to screen at the AutFest Film Festival. They include The Accountant (followed by a Q&A with honoree Ben Affleck), Asperger' Are Us, Inside Out (followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera) and the Oscar-nominated documentary Life, Animated. The full list can be viewed at autfestasa.com.
TICKETS/PASSES
Tickets, festival passes and passes to the VIP Closing Reception can be purchased at autfestasa.com.
ABOUT AUTFEST
AutFest International Film Festival's mission is to further advance the wellbeing of all with an autism diagnosis, as well as to educate our nation about autism and the important need to fully respect and value each person with autism. We wish to celebrate films that promote autism awareness and that have the power to enhance the lives of our community. We also wish to honor and support Autistic filmmakers and artists that have chosen film as their profession. For more information, visit autfestasa.com or follow AutFest on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT THE AUTISM SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Founded in 1965, the Autism Society is the nation's leading grassroots autism organization, and exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. We do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the autism spectrum, advocation for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education and research. The Society maintains a strong nationwide network of affiliates to provide support and grassroots advocacy at local, state and federal levels. www.autism-society.org
ABOUT AMC THEATRES
AMC is the largest movie exhibition company in the U.S., Europe and the world with approximately 1,000 theatres and 11,000 screens across the globe. AMC has propelled innovation in the exhibition industry by deploying more plush power-recliner seats, delivering enhanced food and beverage choices, generating greater guest engagement through its loyalty program, web site and smart phone apps, offering premium large format experiences and playing a wide variety of content including independent programming. AMC operates among the most productive theatres in the United States' top markets, having the #1 or #2 market share positions in 22 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas of the United States, including the top three markets (NY, LA, Chicago). Through its Odeon subsidiary, AMC operates in 14 European countries and is the #1 theatre chain in Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and UK & Ireland. For more information, go to www.amctheatres.com.
