This winter, FilmAcademy360 created their first annual screenplay contest titled, “Living on the Spectrum”. The contest was an open call for very short stories about living with autism.

The theater group from the WAE Center of West Orange, NJ won the contest with their collectively written short screenplay. There were six writers from the WEA Theater group who collaborated on the script under the direction of Theater Facilitator, Alexa Teebo. The screenplay is about a brother caring for his sister who has autism. The role of Tad was played by Matt Curti and the role of Brittany was played by Meghan Coates.

FilmAcademy360 students learned the whole production process. They will exhibit the short film at our FilmAcademy360 annual film festival. FilmAcademy360 Director, David Di Ianni said of the project, “It is a great experience for my students to learn the full production process of film making, especially when we can involve community members.”

About FilmAcademy360:

Created by award-winning educator and media producer David Di Ianni, FilmAcademy360 is a unique hands-on educational environment designed to help diverse learners explore and learn through filmmaking, video editing, game creation, and graphic arts. Its after-hours, weekend and summer programs are open to all. The program, which focuses on self-expression and vocational exploration, not only teaches technical skills but also is a place where students can develop confidence, self-esteem and form social networks.

To learn more, visit FilmAcademy360 online.