We've been quiet on the blog, but there's so much happening behind the scenes at A.B.L.E. We'll start with just one exciting piece of news this week:
A.B.L.E.'s feature film The Spy Who Knew Me has been named an official selection for the 2018 Awareness Film Festival in Los Angeles!
Our one-of-a-kind spy adventure starring an ensemble cast of 20 actors with Down syndrome will be screened on Wednesday October 3rd at 8pm at the Regal L.A. Live (1000 W. Olympic Blvd). Katie and Lawrence will be on hand for a Q&A after the movie. Tickets start at $14 and can be purchased from the Awareness Festival website.
About the Spy Who Knew Me
A riff on the classic spy-adventure genre epitomized by James Bond, The Spy Who Knew Me follows super spy Tabitha Link and the ladies of the all-female agency U.N.I.T.E. After receiving an anonymous tip, Tabitha winds up at the scene of a jewelry heist where she sees a familiar face from her past. She and her fellow spies must race to find the connections between a series of thefts, a top-secret military experiment, and several missing operatives before they lose themselves completely to the evil organization E.C.H.O.
Making the Film
A.B.L.E. co-founder and teaching artist Lawrence Kern crafted the screenplay for The Spy Who Knew Me with each actor’s individual strengths and personality in mind. The filmmaking process was set up to ensure the diverse cast would feel confident and proud regardless of short-term memory, literacy, or verbal ability. As with our stage productions, rather than pressuring actors to memorize lines or read from cue cards, each actor paired with a teaching artist who stayed off-camera (sometimes hiding under set pieces or behind props) to drop-in lines. In the editing room, the teaching artists' voices were removed, so only the actors can be heard in the final cut. The finale incorporates monologues the cast wrote themselves about who they are, what they love, and what they can do. The story celebrates differences, and stresses the importance of holding on to what makes us unique. “People are more than one thing,” Tabitha Link reminds us. “A world where everyone’s the same isn’t worth living in.”
Read more about making the movie in our production logs and our production FAQ sheet
About the Awareness Festival
The Awareness Film Festival is organized by Heal One World, a non-profit charity serving the community surrounding West Pico blvd in Los Angeles, California. As well as serving as a fundraiser, the mission of the Awareness Film Festival is to inform and inspire audiences through a program of films on Ecological, Political, Health/Well Being and Spiritual topics. The festival aims to spotlight film-makers committed to making positive change throughout the world and showcases both Documentary and Narrative Features, as well as Short Films, Music Videos and Public Service Announcements. Events include filmmaker Q&A’s and panels, as well as conscious art and music. For more information and complete festival listings, visit: awarenessfestival.org
