Annabel Hernandez, a born performer with Down syndrome, gets to tell her story.
This short film is at once an intimate portrait and a creative collaboration, stretching the boundaries of the documentary genre to better tell a personal story from a historically ignored perspective.
Click the photo below to watch the teaser.
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Get to know Annabel.
Annabel Hernandez (29) is no stranger to a stage. She’s a natural born performer. "I don't get nervous", she says. "More like... Confidence." It radiates on her face.
Annabel has been an active participant in The Laughing Feet Performers, a theater company of neurodiverse actors, singers, dancers and comedians for 15 years and it continues to be a big part of her day-to-day activities.
Annabel lives in Wichita with her parents and younger brother. She works part-time at her grandparents' Mexican restaurant. "Mexico is in my blood", she'll have you know. Her interests include music, dance, sign language and sharing these with her 20k+ followers on TikTok. TikTok also serves as a platform for her to gather support for organizations that serve people with Down syndrome, like her.
Why This Story?
There are 61 million disabled people in the USA today but despite making up over 25% of the US population, D/deaf and disabled people are chronically under-served on-screen, behind the camera and as consumers of screen storytelling. This lack of representation and visibility in the media is not only reflective of a historical erasure of this ever-growing community, it perpetuates the stigmatization of disabilities in a vicious cycle that can easily be broken.
Every individual has a unique story to tell. Annabel’s closeness to her family, her pride in her Mexican roots and her drive to perform make her a wonderful participant in this genre-bending format. However, her story is one of countless people in an ever-expansive and extremely diverse community.
These stories are best told through the lens of the human experience, providing a full spectrum that includes, but is not completely focused on, a disability alone.
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A Documentary with a Genre Twist
The premise of this film is to be a collaborative creative effort between the filmmakers and Annabel. It aims to elevate her voice and facilitate her own creative endeavors.
You will get to know Annabel in her daily life, what brings her joy, where she struggles. She’ll introduce us to her family and friends, her theater group, and the restaurant where she works. The climax of the film will culminate in an artistic expression co-written and performed by Annabel, traversing genres between documentary and narrative, bringing her vision to life in a big way.
Quality in production is paramount to achieve Annabel’s ideal performance piece. Our focus in the present moment is to ensure that we have the appropriate funds and resources to do this.
Risks & Challenges
In recognition of the prevalence of ableism in media and the acknowledgement that we are three filmmakers outside the I/DD community we are currently taking steps to build a production team that includes D/deaf and disabled people in the filmmaking process at every level. In addition we are assembling an advisory board made up of individuals from the disability community as well as active allies to ensure we are staying true to the full range of experiences of those within the I/DD community. Advisory board members will be providing input on early cuts of the film, any education materials developed, and on our outreach/impact campaign.
Who We Are
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Ida Joglar, Director / DP
Ida Joglar is a filmmaker, editor and video artist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, after relocating to New York in 2009, where she completed her MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts.
Her first feature, Kili Big (2021), a documentary about a group of plus-sized women attempting to carve space for themselves in the outdoor community, premiered at Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival where it won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature, going on to play at renowned film festivals such as Heartland, Tallgrass and Montclair (New Jersey Films Competition Winner). Athena Film Festival honored Ida with the Athena Breakthrough Director Award for her work on Kili Big.
Amity Hoffman, Co-writer/Producer
Amity Hoffman is a filmmaker and producer originally from Wichita, KS and currently residing in Sarasota, FL where she writes and produces creative campaigns and commercials for a national communication company.
She brings 30 years of theater experience to her work, including 5 years of experience working with special needs actors. This inspired her first documentary feature The Best Show In Town (2021), which has received recognition from The Portland Film Festival, Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival and Naples International Film Festival.
Lauren Coleman, Producer
Lauren Coleman is a filmmaker, actor, songwriter and music festival producer from Long Beach, California.
She produced and edited her feature-length directorial debut, How to Throw Your Own Goodbye Party (2020), a documentary about a festival organizer who was able to succeed in his dream of pulling off one last production before passing away from complications due to alcohol addiction. To date, it has received recognition from the Portland Film Festival, Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Richmond International Film Festival.
Michael D. Coffey, Associate Producer
Michael is a filmmaker in Lawrence, Kansas and he has cerebral palsy. He is from Ulysses, Kansas and grew up mostly there before living in Amarillo, Texas during high school and college. He is a graduate of Amarillo College, where he earned a Microcomputer Specialist Associate degree. He is also a graduate of West Texas A&M University, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in computer information systems.
Michael started to get involved with filmmaking 18+ years ago, meeting filmmakers and making film-industry connections. He has invested in three feature films, and he is credited as an Associate Producer for the feature film, Nailbiter. His first speaking part is in the feature film, The Sublime and Beautiful, filmed in Lawrence, Kansas in 2012. He is the writer and a producer of Triumph, a teen sports-drama feature film starring RJ Mitte (aka Walt Jr. in Breaking Bad) and co-starring Terrence Howard. Triumph was officially released on April 30th, 2021 in 200+ Cinemark theaters nationwide.
Schedule
Principal photography will be completed intermittently between July and October of 2022. We’ll be following Annabel’s day to day involvement in work, family, social media and performing along with additional interviews. During this time we will also be collaborating with Annabel on her original scene to be produced in October. Editing and post-production are scheduled for November and December of 2022.
How You Can Help
Thanks to our Fiscal Sponsor, Center for Independent Documentary (CID), all donations can be considered a charitable contribution for tax purposes.
Currently we are seeking a total estimated budget of $73,000 from a combination of arts and humanities grants and private investors. This budget will cover costs from production through finishing and includes outreach events.
Current Partners and Sponsors:
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Funding for this program is provided by Humanities Kansas, a nonprofit cultural organization connecting communities with history, traditions, and ideas to strengthen civic life.
Fiscal Sponsorships:
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Center for Independent Documentary (CID) is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to transparency and providing donors with complete information about the use of funds contributed to their organization.
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Mama.film, a 501(c3) not-for-profit cinematic arts organization based in Wichita, KS, has agreed to provide fiscal sponsorship for Kansas grant purposes.
In-Kind Sponsorships:
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LifeBoat Creative is a Wichita-based strategy, web design/development and graphic design agency that will be aiding in promotion and branding.
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Unbundled Underground (Kili Big, The Climb) has offered to provide in-kind production resources including waiving equipment rentals and production insurance.
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Tallgrass Film Association has agreed to host a screening and discussion of the finished film in their recently acquired theater in Wichita.
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