Dear Mr. Riedman,
We are currently seeking philanthropic support for an independent documentary film All You Hear Is Noise which focuses on the topic of intellectual disability rights and inclusion through the narrative lens of a team of athletes from the U.S. who traveled halfway around the world to compete in the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.
Our ultimate goal is to bring the underrepresented experience of people with intellectual disabilities into mainstream media and entertainment to facilitate awareness of, and subvert, structures of ableism that still permeate our society.
We have completed an initial cut of the film and secured $80K to date. We are raising an additional $125K in two phases: Phase I ($75K), Phase II ($50K). These funds will allow us to integrate a broader socio-historical storyline throughout the film and prepare it for distribution on commercial and educational platforms.
To reach our goal of $75K with the sources we're approaching in Phase I, we are making requests to grant-making foundations that range from $5K-25K. If you feel this project aligns with the Riedman Foundation goals, we’d be happy to share more specifics around our needs and/or accept any level of contribution.
Below is more background about the film, need/impact, and budget. The materials are set up for self exploration, but we’re available to walk through them together via phone/zoom if you'd prefer.
Thank you for your consideration,
Ned Castle and Matt Day, Co-Directors
Note: All contributions are tax deductible thanks to fiscal sponsorship by the Vermont Folklife Center.
The Story.
All You Hear is Noise weaves together an intimate tale of personal and athletic pursuit against the backdrop of the disability civil rights movement.
Watch a short trailer a.k.a. “sizzle reel” that introduces the story, style, and tone of the documentary—mixing verite and historical footage to weave together the personal and societal journey.
Closed Captioning can be turned on by clicking the CC logo in the player options bar.
The Background.
Principal photography for the film was undertaken between January – December 2019, and a ‘fine cut’ of the film was submitted to 2020 film festivals and pitched to the major commercial distribution platforms (i.e. Netflix, Apple+, HBO, Amazon, etc). The existing cut of the film was accepted to a prominent regional festival—and received serious consideration from several commercial platforms—but in the end, was not purchased, and the production team made the decision to withhold release, address consistent feedback, and re-pitch the revised film in 2021.
The existing cut of the film focuses on the personal/athletic journey of three Special Olympic Athletes—whereas the augmented storyline will draw in historical and societal perspectives on the fight for intellectual disability civil rights. The revisions will broaden the scope of the film, and drive deeper investment into the characters of the film, the significance of their journey, and to challenge the audiences existing views on ableism.
A message from Kate Bove.
Kate Bove has been an advisor on the film since the beginning. She is an advocate and she has competed in two World Games competitions. We met with Kate in the early stages of the film-making process to discuss the idea of making a documentary about the Special Olympics World Games. In this clip Kate is responding to a question about the potential impact of the documentary.
Closed Captioning can be turned on by clicking the CC logo in the player options bar.
Need, Impact, Distribution.
Need. There is a general consensus that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) face structural barriers to employment, healthcare, and housing and suffer the emotional repercussions of stigma and misperceptions. These cultural narratives are perpetuated by underrepresentation and inaccurate portrayals of ID in the media. A USC study found that, in 2016, only 2.7 percent of all speaking or named characters in film were shown to have a disability.
Impact. Recently, the Ford Foundation report, A Roadmap for Inclusion: Changing the Face of Disability in Media, explored the issue of inadequate media representation of the one-in-four Americans who live with disabilities. All You Hear Is Noise makes strides toward the report’s “Ideal World” scenario of “full inclusion” in media, via (1) more on-screen representation; (2) people with disabilities comprising about 25 percent of the characters in media; and (3) stories that are not centered solely on their disabilities and do not perpetuate harmful stereotypes.
Distribution. Distribution to the education market alone would bring an invaluable teaching tool, along with curriculum supports, into classrooms across the county, and the world. Additionally, if the film is successful on commercial streaming platforms, the potential rippling impact on the worldview of a general audience is exciting to imagine.
Funded Activities.
The revisions to the storyline will be accomplished primarily through the incorporation of archival materials—along with some additional interviews with the film’s subjects and others. Specific activities related to Phase I and Phase II, include:
Phase II ($50K)
Film “finishing costs” including coloring, audio mastering, and original score.
Submission of revised film to distribution platforms, festivals, and educational marketplace.
Phase I ($75K)
Building an Advisory Group comprised largely of people with intellectual disability.
Archival footage research and acquisition- and additional filming and interviews with the film’s subject and others.
Nothing about us, without us.
‘Nothing about us, without us’ is the rally cry of the disability rights and self advocacy movements, and in that spirit, we have to date empowered our subjects in the creative process and built collaborative partnerships with organizational stakeholders and advocates—e.g. Special Olympics, Respectability.org.
As we move into this next phase, addressing more complex societal issues, our Advisory Group of 10-12 consultants will be an invaluable resource for helping us navigate these storylines.
Your Phase I support will ensure we have a team of stakeholders with the experience and expertise to put this story out into the world. If you are interested in partnering with us, please contact Ned at nedcastle@gmail.com or (802) 310-0163.