Support Our Short Film: Raising Awareness for TBI Survivors

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Introduction:

Hello! My name is Dante Nazzaro and I am the writer and director of “Upwards, Onwards". I’ve been doing film for over five years now and this short film is my most personal film to date. I have a passion for human stories and co-wrote this film to capture a personal account of how it feels to have a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). My best friend and girlfriend Lori currently suffers from a TBI. I myself had a TBI and together, Lori and I wrote this film to show the true reality of TBI's, its effects, its isolation, its unhurried recovery and the personal experience a victim of TBI has in their day to day life. For the most part, TBI’s are caused by unpredictable accidents and can stay with you for the rest of your life. Like all films, it takes a village to create them and this one is no different. We both would be so gracious to receive your support financially or socially to help us create this beautiful account of something so difficult to understand.

Lori's Story:

Hello, my name is Lori Engler and I am the co-writer for the short film “Upwards, Onwards" I received my TBI in October 2021 in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.

When I was in my early days of recovery, I watched a lot of shows and movies with my mom, (dad,ju, rob and Claudia) and with Dante. I noticed there were never any stories about people with TBI and the ones that had them were not accurate to what I was going through. I want to make this film to create an accurate representation of my experiences with TBI and show how it affects me, and those around me. I hope that people who struggle with TBI can see that they are not alone and to remind them to keep looking upwards and onwards. There’s a lot of horrible things that happen from people or events. You just have to appreciate yourself and your loved ones. I am traumatically brain injured and have suffered a coma and a seizure. I had to relearn everything like a baby. I was depressed and aggravated. That’s a part of coping. I realized I have to keep making progress. There’s a lot of people struggling and this film is a reminder to think beyond all that and let those suffering know that there is always hope.

Whenever you’re down please also call - 988 hotline for depression. I love you all <3

Lori Engler

The Plot:

"Upwards, Onwards" is a poignant short film that delves into the grief, trauma, and loneliness following Mary’s diagnosis with a Traumatic Brain Injury. Based on true events, this story explores the painful aftermath of a tragic car accident caused by a drunk driver. As Mary’s daughter Camila and son-in-law Thomas move her into their small home, they dedicate themselves to her recovery. Throughout the film, Mary experiences a significant loss of control over her life, and despite the progress made during recovery, this feeling of stagnancy takes over.

Time is explored throughout as we follow each character's individual grieving process’. Particularly focusing on Mary's struggle to cope with her brain injury and its implications for her future, the audience is immersed in Mary's perspective, witnessing her fight to reconcile how sadness, joy, and grief can coexist.

Meet the Characters:

Mary (she/her)

My friends have always told me I need to study my past to know the future...but I cant remember my past. My daughter told me I was in a car accident and that I'm going to get better in time but as the days pass by I'm losing track of who I once was. Who was I? Who am I now? I remember Richard...but I cant remember if that makes any sense. I want to get better, but what does better even look like for me? It's hard to conceptualize what I want when I cant even remember what I once had. There's one thing I do know. I need to go home...my home.

Camila (she/her)

If you want to create texture in your painting, take your palette knife, place it in-between your thumb and your pointer finger and scrape the paint away on the canvas, very carefully, and start creating scoring lines in different directions. The scratching is a great way to create texture but if you scratch too hard you risk puncturing your canvas and ruining your painting. My moms been staying with me and Tom because her accident has made her unable to live by herself. I am now her permeant caretaker. For lack of a better word...I'm her mother now. I don't think I'm cut out for this. Her traumatic brain injury has made it hard for her to remember her past...does that mean she can't remember me? Sometimes I'll just be staring at her from a distance, wondering if she remembers giving me impromptu painting lessons on the weekends when I was younger. Does she still remember taking me to get my favorite caramel fudge sundae at the ice cream shop on a hot, sticky, summer day? Does she remember the last time we saw each other?

I have to remind myself to stay focused on the positive. I know she will get better. She just cant move too fast or the doctors said she may have a seizure.

Sometimes I feel like that palette knife. Trying so hard to not puncture the canvas in front of me but knowing no matter what I do...it's going to happen anyways.

Thomas (he/him)

Hi, I'm Thomas. I'm a logistics manager at Pathway Construction. It's an easy commute just off of exit 42 on 78. Everything in my life up until this point was so balanced. I love my job, and coming home to see my wife working as an artist and pursuing her dreams makes me feel like all is right in the world. The only thing we were missing was the perfect home. I saw it so clearly. A large three story home with a big backyard reaching into the woods. Camila would have her own art room...maybe I would have my own workshop space and most importantly a nursery for our future kids. A boy and a girl.

I almost had it. I mean...we almost had it. Now I feel like my life is at a standstill. Why do bad things happen to good people? I wish my wife would talk to me more about her feelings. I wish Mary could still remember.

But most of all, losing Richard in the accident was like losing the father I never had.

I used to think that I had all the answers. The perfect solutions that would make our lives better. But now I just need to be there for my family here in this present moment...but I have no idea what I am doing. Would you?

Richard (he/him)

Before all this happened, I wrote Mary a letter telling to her how proud I was at the life we had built together. Back when I was a hot shot living downtown I used to always take smith street to get to work. One day the road was closed because the pipes flooded so I took Matthews instead. Now, I thank God everyday for that flood because if I took smith street I would have never almost hit Mary with my car. Next thing I know I had met the love of my life and they finally had fixed those dang pot holes on smith!

I never knew one moment could give me all I ever needed in my life. Camila doesn't know this, but when Mary was pregnant with her she was bed bound. The pregnancy wasn't looking good and the doctor told us to prepare for the worst. Mary wasn't afraid and in fact, took up art to pass the time. Tragedies are senseless, but Mary never let that get in her way. She used to tell me that it was always an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. If it wasn't for that moment maybe our Camila would have never touched a brush. Moments like that make me so happy that the whole street flooded way back. I may be gone, but I know Mary won't let another senseless tragedy define our family.

Why this story?

In 2021, my three best friends and myself were on our way home when we were struck at an intersection by a drunk driver. Sadly, our best friend Bridget passed away at the moment of impact when we were hit by the drunk driver. I suffered major bodily injuries including a TBI. By the grace of God, my brain injury was less severe, but the road to recover was long and lasting. My girlfriend also suffered a more severe brain injury that she is still recovering from today. Brain injuries are life changing and take years, if not decades to recover from, but the journey to recover is one of solace and loneliness. There is a lot of emerging research to help those who suffer from TBI, but every recovery is specific to the victim and not all those with TBI’s receive the same amount of care. Despite this, it remains isolating and confusing for those affected. Through this film, I aim to open a much-needed public conversation and provide an accurate depiction of what it's like to experience a TBI and its impact on both the individual and their family. This story is dedicated to my best friend Bridget, my girlfriend and best friend Lori my dear friend Claudia, and all of their families who were deeply affected by this tragedy.

Why now?

We are making this story for two reasons. The first is to simply heal through art and for Dante and Lori to tell their stories.

The second is to raise awareness around those affected and living with Traumatic Brain Injuries.

In the United States, the CDC and Brain-line

estimates that around 2.5 million people suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year, while other sources suggest the number may be closer to 2.8 million. Given these significant statistics, we believe it’s essential to increase the representation of individuals with TBIs in film. People living with a TBI deserve to see themselves reflected in movies just like anyone else.

https://www.brainline.org/article/infographic-new-tbi-numbers

Our Budget:

Making a film is hard! Not only do we spend months during pre-production planning out the details, casting the actors, hiring a creative team, scouting locations, and ensuring we have food and drinks to feed the crew during filming days, but we also handle any miscellaneous purchases that arise.

We wish we could do all of this for free, but in order to create a safe and supportive space for our team, we need to ensure that everyone is fairly compensated and that all necessary expenses are covered. This includes paying our incredible actors, permits, equipment rentals, transportation, and any other costs that come up. By doing this, we can focus on delivering a high-quality film that we are all proud of, knowing that we have taken care of our team and resources properly.

How Can You Support?

Donate: Any dollar amount helps us make “Upwards, Onwards” a reality

Spread the Word: Share this page with your friends, family, and social media to amplify our message and reach a wider audience. If you're a member of or have connections in the tri-state area, we'd love to connect with you to spread awareness.

Get Creative: Have a talent or skill you'd like to contribute? Whether it's graphic design, being an artist, influencing, or a perspective to share, we welcome all forms of support.

Support—doesn't just come from sending money!

For the Archive:

We hope that by creating this film, we can accurately portray what it is truly like to live with and recover from a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Our aim is to engage with the TBI community, inviting real stories from those currently living with TBI to incorporate their experiences into the film. This approach will help us create a more authentic and impactful narrative.

Our dream is to use this film as a part of a larger event, bringing together survivors to share their journeys and raise public awareness about living with a TBI.

How did we do? Would you like to share your story with us? Send us your experiences!

Timeline:

Lastly....

Please follow our journey on social media.

Our Instagram is loveyourbrainfilm

Thank you all once again! We are excited to create a fantastic film, and your support makes it possible. Please consider donating and sharing this with your friends, family, and anyone else who might be interested.