March 13, 2025
The Boost News
The unique perspectives of neurodiverse artists are front and center at the Marvels of Media Festival in Queens, N.Y., at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI).
“We often see stereotypical representations of autistic people because [films tend] to be written by people who aren’t autistic,” Tiffany Joy Butler, associate curator of Public Programs at the museum, tells The Boost. “It’s essential to give power to autistic filmmakers and storytellers.”
The fourth annual festival, which runs March 27 through March 29, 2025, features a diverse selection of 23 new films, five video games and two virtual reality experiences, as well as panel discussions, a media workshop and a networking mixer. Admission to screenings and events is free with RSVP. (For a full schedule of programs for all ages, visit movingimage.org/series/marvels-of-media-festival-2025/.)
A still from ‘Once More, Like Rain Man.’ (Credit: Sue Ann Pien)
The films feature not just up-and-comers, but experienced actors and filmmakers. They include Once More, Like Rain Man, a film directed by Sue Ann Pien, star of Amazon’s As We See It, and produced by Darren Dean (Florida Project, Tangerine), a longtime collaborator of Sean Baker, whose Anora just swept the Oscar. The film presents a “day in the life” of an autistic actress who travels across Los Angeles for auditions only to keep running into the same stereotypical parts.
Among the media makers returning this year is Samara Huckvale. Huckvale’s short film, 420 Ways to Die, is a dryly comedic, neo-noir anti-smoking mockumentary that’s part of the “Vibrant Voices: Four Shorts” program.
“A lot of people view autism as something that disables humor and I feel like I want to push against that,” says Huckvale. “The funniest people I know are autistic or neurodivergent and the stereotype that [we] don’t understand humor or can’t get jokes makes no sense to me.”
A recent Columbia University grad on their way to New York University’s Graduate Film program, Huckvale says of Marvels of Media that “it’s nice to be surrounded by people who are like me, and to look at different films and art by autistic people. It’s just a great, really fun festival.”
This year, it takes place as the Trump administration continues its war on science, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. As always, Butler says, the festival supports Black, Latinx and Asian artists, and will continue doing so. “We’ve also always been very cautious about not partnering with organizations that support claims that vaccines [cause] autism,” she says.
Butler also points out that while the letter “A,” which stands for accessibility, is often left off of the DEI acronym, DEAI is baked into Marvels of Media. Organizers, she says, “continue to make the museum more accessible.” On offer are a sensory relief room and sensory kits, captions on content, and a building accessible to wheelchairs.
‘Joust My Luck,’ screening in the Playful Tales: Seven Shorts program. (Credit: Jacob Lenard)
This year, the festival also embarks on an exciting expansion. By joining forces with leading arts institutions and theaters, partners around the country will present a specially curated selection of the 2024 Marvels of Media festival lineup. The schedule as of this posting:
Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, N.Y.: March 27 – April 27, 2025
North Fork Arts Center in Greenport (Long Island), NY: March 27 – April 27
Gray Area in San Francisco: March 27 – April 11, 2025
So, get your tickets, and head on out!
Photo: A still from 420 Ways to Die. (Credit: Samara Huckvale)