Actors for Autism

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For young adults with autism, wading into the job market is a daunting task, particularly after leaving the security of high school. Patrick Doran, a Pasadena resident in his mid-20s, has found work he enjoys thanks to vocational training he received from the non-profit organization Actors For Autism.To raise public awareness about opportunities in the film industry for people with autism, UC Santa Barbara’s Carsey-Wolf Center will present Actors For Autism: Selections from the Actors For Autism 2016 Film Festival. The event will showcase the work of those on the autistic spectrum in the entertainment industry by screening short films they produced for Actors For Autism.
The event is slated for Saturday, April 22, in UCSB’s Pollock Theater. It will begin at 2 p.m. Admission is free, although seating is limited. Reservations are recommended. Presented in conjunction with National Autism Awareness Month, the screening is co-sponsored by the Koegel Autism Center at UCSB.
Glendale-based Actors For Autism educates and trains people with autism to work in the fields of visual effects, film and television, animation and video game design. The organization also hosts an annual film festival in December to celebrate its students’ work.
“The struggle is trying to find opportunities for adults with autism,” said Patrice Petro, director of the Carsey-Wolf Center and a professor of film and media studies. Petro will moderate a post-screening discussion. “The struggle is how they can be engaged, how to fund opportunities for advancement for them after high school, how to develop their skills, how to help them keep being creative.”
Following the series of short films from the Actors For Autism 2016 film festival, a discussion and question-and-answer session will focus on Actors For Autism and the role of people in the entertainment industry who have autism. Panelists will include Actors For Autism Executive Director Alisa Wolf, who founded the non-profit ...

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