Film Production Grad Discusses Being a Filmmaker on the Spectrum During Autism Awareness Month
“Asperger’s, autism or any other challenge, either mentally or psychologically, doesn’t stop someone from being the best version of who they can be.”
That sentiment, shared by Evan Mead in honour of Autism Awareness Month, is what has guided the 2013 Film Production graduate in all his decisions as a filmmaker who identifies as being on the spectrum.
In fact, Mead has drawn on both his own experiences of living with autism, as well as the skills he acquired at Toronto Film School, to create Awkward Love – a documentary that explores dating and intimacy amongst people with Asperger syndrome.
“I wanted to create Awkward Love, because I wanted to show the world that these people who feel isolated and alone on the autism spectrum just want the same thing that everyone does in their lives,” he said of the documentary, which is currently in the development stage of production.
“I wanted to show that love is possible for everyone.”
While Mead has been busy meeting with producers to get the Awkward Love documentary off the ground, he’s also been hard at work on a second autism-themed documentary called Boy Like Me.
Similarly personal, Mead said he was inspired to make Boy Like Me after seeing his former high school classmate and one-time friend, Alek Minassian, make headlines two years ago for his alleged role in the tragic van attack on Toronto’s Yonge Street.
Minassian, who is also on the autism spectrum, is currently awaiting trial on 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder in connection with the April 2018 attack.
In Boys Like Me, Mead hopes to explore how young men like Minassian can sometimes get radicalized and what we, as a society, can do to understand this radicalization and prevent it.
While both documentary projects are still works in progress, Mead said he’s thankful to be living at a time and working within an industry that is now much more open to exploring topics that were once considered too taboo to talk about.
“We live in a culture that is becoming more and more understanding towards mental health stigmas,” he said.
“[This] kind of representation matters, and it needs to continue to matter. I love the way that the film industry is about giving everyone a voice.”
