Miles to Go
Donation protected
MILES TO GO
Your chance to be part of a movie with an important story to tell.
This funny and heartfelt film is a celebration and acknowledgement of carers, a glimpse into life with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and an honest portrayal of how disability can impact on a family.
It’s estimated that one in 100 kids in Ireland are on the ASD spectrum. In the US the figures are estimated at 1 in 68 and rising. Despite what Hollywood would have us believe, not all are blessed with astonishing genius and are instead hugely dependant on their families for their needs. In fact Care Alliance Ireland estimates there are over 274,000 carers in Ireland, be it for children, parents or partners with all manner of illnesses and disabilities. The actual figures are probably much higher yet the herculean challenges carers face daily go largely unacknowledged.
Our screens are filled with tent-pole movies of fantastical super heroes but carers, these ‘everyday heroes’, are infinitely more heroic and humbling. ‘Miles to Go’ challenges a value system in which fame and material accumulation are celebrated while care and compassion for our vulnerable go largely unacknowledged. This film is our bid to see carers recognised up on screen. This film is our thank you.
KEEP SEAMUS IN THE PICTURE
But we have a challenge. While we already have a wonderful award winning cast (Owen Roe, Rory Keenan) and crew on board, official sources of funding told us the subject matter was “too hard a sell”, insisting that there is little audience or appetite for films featuring disability. Miles to Go is a road trip about a father and his two sons, one of whom Seamus, is autistic. The story centres on their quest to get take him home. However it was strongly suggested we take Seamus out of the main action and instead concentrate on the other two characters. We emphatically refuse to do this! We refuse to render our autistic character and his condition invisible.
So we need your help to make Seamus visible! To make the film we want to make, we need to raise 150,000 euro. While this is a huge amount of money it is very modest in film terms but with cast and crew kindly agreeing to work for minimum or deferred rates, it will allow us to shoot the movie and ‘get it in the can.’ We can then apply with a rough cut for completion funding to various sources and get the film out there so Seamus will be seen!
A mother of an autistic child told me ‘carers are tenacious and stubborn, we do not take no for an answer.’ Inspired by this we will not take no for an answer either. If the official powers that be refuse to invest in our stories, in our portrayal on screen, we will invest in ourselves!
No amount is too small. Every euro, pound or dollar adds up and word of mouth and sharing makes all the difference. Please help us make our story, our thanks to carers, to the screen.
MILES TO GO. Feature film celebrating carers involved with ASD and disability.
Synopsis: Based on a true story, RICHARD is surprised when his father estranged JOSEPH asks him a favour. SEAMUS, Richard’s severely autistic younger brother, lives in a care residence and now that Joseph has retired he wants to care for his beloved son at home. However HIGHAM, the officious residence director, will only give his consent if Joseph can look after Seamus for a weekend at home without incident. That’s where Richard comes in. Joseph needs him to drive them there. The thought fills Richard with trepidation. While he harbours a guilty ambivalence towards Seamus, his resentment towards his father is blatant and mutual. When the three of them embark on a trip across Dublin, through near-disasters and surprising revelations, they journey into the heart of their relationships.
Your chance to be part of a movie with an important story to tell.
This funny and heartfelt film is a celebration and acknowledgement of carers, a glimpse into life with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and an honest portrayal of how disability can impact on a family.
It’s estimated that one in 100 kids in Ireland are on the ASD spectrum. In the US the figures are estimated at 1 in 68 and rising. Despite what Hollywood would have us believe, not all are blessed with astonishing genius and are instead hugely dependant on their families for their needs. In fact Care Alliance Ireland estimates there are over 274,000 carers in Ireland, be it for children, parents or partners with all manner of illnesses and disabilities. The actual figures are probably much higher yet the herculean challenges carers face daily go largely unacknowledged.
Our screens are filled with tent-pole movies of fantastical super heroes but carers, these ‘everyday heroes’, are infinitely more heroic and humbling. ‘Miles to Go’ challenges a value system in which fame and material accumulation are celebrated while care and compassion for our vulnerable go largely unacknowledged. This film is our bid to see carers recognised up on screen. This film is our thank you.
KEEP SEAMUS IN THE PICTURE
But we have a challenge. While we already have a wonderful award winning cast (Owen Roe, Rory Keenan) and crew on board, official sources of funding told us the subject matter was “too hard a sell”, insisting that there is little audience or appetite for films featuring disability. Miles to Go is a road trip about a father and his two sons, one of whom Seamus, is autistic. The story centres on their quest to get take him home. However it was strongly suggested we take Seamus out of the main action and instead concentrate on the other two characters. We emphatically refuse to do this! We refuse to render our autistic character and his condition invisible.
So we need your help to make Seamus visible! To make the film we want to make, we need to raise 150,000 euro. While this is a huge amount of money it is very modest in film terms but with cast and crew kindly agreeing to work for minimum or deferred rates, it will allow us to shoot the movie and ‘get it in the can.’ We can then apply with a rough cut for completion funding to various sources and get the film out there so Seamus will be seen!
A mother of an autistic child told me ‘carers are tenacious and stubborn, we do not take no for an answer.’ Inspired by this we will not take no for an answer either. If the official powers that be refuse to invest in our stories, in our portrayal on screen, we will invest in ourselves!
No amount is too small. Every euro, pound or dollar adds up and word of mouth and sharing makes all the difference. Please help us make our story, our thanks to carers, to the screen.
MILES TO GO. Feature film celebrating carers involved with ASD and disability.
Synopsis: Based on a true story, RICHARD is surprised when his father estranged JOSEPH asks him a favour. SEAMUS, Richard’s severely autistic younger brother, lives in a care residence and now that Joseph has retired he wants to care for his beloved son at home. However HIGHAM, the officious residence director, will only give his consent if Joseph can look after Seamus for a weekend at home without incident. That’s where Richard comes in. Joseph needs him to drive them there. The thought fills Richard with trepidation. While he harbours a guilty ambivalence towards Seamus, his resentment towards his father is blatant and mutual. When the three of them embark on a trip across Dublin, through near-disasters and surprising revelations, they journey into the heart of their relationships.
Organizer
Audrey O Reilly
Organizer
