AUTISM SOCIETY Releases New PSA for Autism Awareness Month

In celebration of April as Autism Awareness month, the Autism Society has launched a public service announcement campaign to increase public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the autism spectrum. Through a long-standing partnership between AMC Theatres and the Autism Society, AMC will show the PSA during the month of April in all of its locations throughout the country.

In addition, the Autism Society premieres AutFest Film Festival: >From Spectrum to Screen, the first international film festival celebrating the role film is now playing in autism awareness, April 22-23, in partnership with AMC Orange 30.

AMC and the Autism Society continue their eight-year partnership through AMC Sensory Friendly Films screenings, providing a welcoming environment for guests on the second and fourth Saturday (family friendly) and Tuesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month. For details: https://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films

The unique animated PSA was created by award winning artist Dani Bowman, herself on the autism spectrum and an accomplished animator. Bowman has premiered 6 award-winning animated short films at San Diego's Comic-Con each year for the past 5 years. Her shorts feature the voices of Joe Mantegna, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), June Foray and Stella Ritter, in addition to other voice actors on the autism spectrum. She also worked closely on Joey Travolta's Inclusion Films.

"Autism Society feels the importance of giving a voice to people with autism. We are honored that Dani Bowman, a supremely talented young animator who is also autistic has created this PSA reflecting our desire to help all people with autism live a life of dignity and respect.," said Matthew Asner, Autism Society VP of Development. "We are proud of Dani and grateful for our partnership with AMC Theaters for allowing our voice to be shared."

Nine feature-length films and six shorts are slated to screen at the AutFest Film Festival. They include The Accountant (followed by a Q&A with honoree Ben Affleck), Asperger's Are Us, Inside Out (followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera) and the Oscar-nominated documentary Life, Animated. The full list can be viewed at autfestasa.com.

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