Autism Through Cinema

Autism through Cinema is a multi-disciplinary research project built around film archaeology and film practice. 

 

Working with an extensive range of collaborators, the project examines the role of the moving image (medical film, narrative cinema, documentary) in the historical emergence and understanding of autism. The research then investigates the potential of autism to open up the neurotypical language of cinema.

 

The project begins with the examination of films from medical archives at pivotal moments in the twentieth century. In the second stage, the findings of archival research act as the focal point for workshops leading to participatory filmmaking and experimentation. The final phase of Autism through Cinema offers a form of cinema informed by neurodiverse experience.

 

This project is made possible by a Collaborative Award in Humanities and Social Sciences from the Wellcome Trust.