"I think that dyslexia is hard. And I think that it's OK to admit that it's hard...and also admit that sometimes it does really suck...but I think that when you find your niche, and that can only really come from taking random opportunities...it really helps...
Not Broken Movie: Interview with Gifted Filmmaker Lauren Havel
"In 2018, just after I turned thirteen, my mom signed me up for a film camp at a local private school. The moment I picked up a camera, I felt like I never wanted to put it down!" — Lauren Havel Recently, I had the chance to talk with an amazing young filmmaker,...
The Gift of Families [Premium]
This article was inspired by Steven Spielberg’s movie, The Fabelmans. It is a look back to his childhood inspirations and a nod to his family. As the pandemic worsened, Spielberg said: “As things got worse and worse, I felt that if I was going to leave anything behind, what was the thing that I really need to resolve and unpack about my mom, my dad… This film is, for me, a way of bringing my mom and my dad back.” I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’ve read and watched interviews of Steven talking about his family. He had an especially close relationship with his mother Leah Adler who he credits with his artistic interests. Her parents were a classical guitarist (dad) and linguist […]
Tenet Actor John David Washington [Premium]
He’s not just Denzel’s son. John David Washington is the action hero of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and former NFL running back, and one of Time Magazine’s NEXT 100 leaders who will shape the world’s future. And he’s also dyslexic. John David has talked about his dyslexia, usually mentioning things in passing – like how writing in different colors helps because he’s dyslexic – but he hasn’t discussed in-depth how he overcame the challenges of dyslexia and demands for things like sight-reading or learning scripts. He has said, though, that his mother, Paulette Washington helps him with every aspect of his career, including pre-reading scripts and helping him practice his lines. Interestingly, John David initially avoided acting because he didn’t want to be hired […]
Dyslexia, Storyboarding, and Film Director Martin Scorsese [Premium]
“That’s the way it is with art. It’s not that you want to do it, it’s that you have to do it. You have no choice.” – Martin Scorsese Martin Scorsese is an Academy award winning American director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and film historian with over 50 years in the movie industry, and he is dyslexic. He grew up in a New York tenement, an asthmatic child of a presser and seamstress in the Lower East Side. He recalls spending lots of time in front of a TV set watching good and bad films and going to a local movie theatre with his father and brother. As he watched, he often drew his own scenes, frame by frame in a notebook, flicking pages back and forth […]
Dyslexia and Superhero Film Director Zack Snyder
With news that Batman vs. Superman just passed the $700 million globally, powerhouse film director Zack Snyder shares his story about dyslexia in Bloomberg. Zack is known for a series of blockbuster movies, beginning with Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, Legends of...