Award-Winning Student Animator Also Created Public Service Announcement To be Screened at AMC Theatres Nationally through April 30
LOS ANGELES (April 13, 2017) – The Adventures of Pelican Pete: A Bird is Born, a short film written and directed by Woodbury University animation student Dani Bowman, a nationally known autism spectrum advocate, is among the films that will be screened April 22-23, during “AutFest Film Festival: From Spectrum to Screen,” the first film festival celebrating autism awareness.
Bowman is one of two filmmakers diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum whose work will be showcased on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m.-noon, at the AMC 30 in Orange, Calif.
Bowman also worked with the Autism Society to create a public service announcement campaign that seeks 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 recognition of Autism Awareness Month.
“Autism Society feels the importance of giving a voice to people with autism,” said Matthew Asner, Autism Society VP of Development. “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. We are proud of Dani and grateful for our partnership with AMC Theatres for allowing our voice to be shared.”
“Dani’s story is about how talent powers through all the obstacles that can get in our way,” said Dori Littell-Herrick, chairman of the Animation Department at Woodbury and a long-time mentor of Bowman’s. “Dani is a role model for students with autism, but she is also a role model for all students here at Woodbury and everywhere.”
Bowman has premiered six award-winning animated short films at San Diego’s Comic-Con over the past five 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.
Nine feature-length films also are scheduled to screen during AutFest. They include The Accountant (followed by a Q&A with honoree Ben Affleck), Asperger’s 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.