Al Gore’s main cause may be global warming, but thanks to his TV station Current TV, a completely different but equally important cause has been given a second chance at a closer look.
Former UCLA Theater, Film and Television student Kathe Beltran recently broadcast her film “Tints of Autism” through traditional TV as well as the Web. The film chronicles the lives and opinions of two current UCLA Pathway students living with the condition, giving an outlet for those living with it to speak for themselves to the public.
“Tints of Autism,” was created by Beltran, 60, a mother of a current UCLA Pathways student and a former UCLA student. The eight-minute film gained notoriety on Current TV, a Web site and television channel that airs user-generated content.
Two of the three persons chronicled in the film are actual classmates of Kathe’s daughter Kate, a second-year UCLA Pathways student.
“It’s personal because of my own daughter and what it has been like for her and all the family members,” Beltran said. “There’s an opportunity to become proactive and creative and to really make something positive.”
Pathways executive director Eric Latham said that autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder in California. However, the mainstream media rarely covers persons diagnosed with autism.
“The experts take away from the personal feel except for providing the numbers,” Beltran said.
Beltran’s film offers an intimate multi-dimensional look at three autistic young adults and their families. The film sheds light on everything from how they cope with teasing to their hopes and dreams, from the worries their parents and siblings have to the talents and quirks that each maintain.
“At one point in the video, I talk about when my birthday is five years from now.” said Adam Burg, 21, who is featured in the film. Burg is able to pin-point the exact day of the week of anyone’s birthday on any calendar year.
Beltran initially started work on “Tints of Autism” in 2006 as a submission to Current TV’s Seeds of Tolerance contest, a competition for documentaries that tackle social issues.
“The kids don’t feel sorry for themselves. I tried to make it under the theme of tolerance by showing the intolerance that the kids experience,” Beltran said.
Although she did not win, Beltran was contacted by a Current TV campus outreach representative to help re-cut and upload the film onto the Web site.
Will Payne, the College and Events Coordinator for Current TV, said, “When the piece went up, there was almost an immediate response. “˜Thank you for making this (film), I found it very informative and touching.’ You clearly saw from the comments that people really related to this.”
Impressed by feedback from the website, Current TV executives decided to broadcast Beltran’s work on several cable channels owned by the company. As part of Current TV’s programming format, videos that gain popularity with users online are pre-screened by Current TV’s on-air programming department.
“I think it’s fabulous you don’t have to wait for corporations to come and check out your films. There is so much out there to see,” Beltran said.
Current TV was created by former Vice President Al Gore and Joel Hyatt in an effort to democratize television outside of major media conglomerates and has allowed emerging filmmakers, like Beltran, an opportunity to get their message across to a wider television audience.
“What I liked most about (the film) is I’ve never been in a film before. It was back when I felt uncomfortable that I had autism, now I feel comfortable,” Burg said.
Burg is currently a first-year Pathways student at the UCLA Extension Center and was filmed before his entrance into the program. The Pathways program offers 18-25-year-olds with developmental disabilities academic classes with life skills instruction as well as internships for work experience.
“What often happens is that people can form an opinion about folks with autism based on stereotypes, and with stereotypes there may be some basis in fact, but it can really limit our ability to interact in meaningful ways,” Latham said. “”˜Tints of Autism’ shatters those stereotypes and portrays these young people just as they are ““ ordinary folks.”
Beltran has just finished editing a full-length version of the film. She has recently returned to the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television to complete her master’s degree in fine arts and has been contacted by other organizations to make another film for special needs.
“Too often media portray people with disabilities as someone to feel sorry for, or worse, that they have overcome some tremendous obstacles ““ that they are somehow superhuman,” Latham said. “When in reality they are just ordinary folks trying to get through life like everyone ““ they just happen to have autism.”