Music and Clowns
2018 | 07 minutes | English | United Kingdom
Filmmaker Alex Widdowson’s brother, Jamie has a profound learning disability. Despite being close to nonverbal, he demonstrates charisma, a sharp sense of humor and emotional sensitivity. Alex teams up with his parents to discuss what it's like caring for someone with Down syndrome. Their differing perspectives reveal as much about them as they do Jamie. Music and Clowns rejects the medicalised narrative of people with Down syndrome, opting for a grounded perspective on the experiences of neurodivergent people and those who care for them.
The screening of this film was followed by a discussion between filmmaker Alex Widdowson and sociologist Gareth Thomas.
About the Filmmaker
Alex Widdowson is a London based director and animator. He specializes in making animated documentaries about neurological and psychological forms of difference. He is currently a Wellcome Trust PhD candidate on the Autism through Cinema project at Queen Mary, University of London, where he researches the ethics associated with a non-autistic filmmaker representing autism through animated documentary. In addition, he freelances as a 2D animator, teaches MA Animation at The University of Hertfordshire, occasionally writes for AnimatedDocumentary.com and is the festival producer for Factual Animation Film Festival.
About the Psychologist
Gareth Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University (UK). He is a sociologist with broad interests in medicine, disability, and reproduction.
