Another showing May 17 at school
Musicians played as more than 200 people came across the red carpet April 19 for the first public screening of the documentary, “Touched by Autism,” created by Triangle Elementary School teacher Viktoria Wargo.
Ms. Wargo, a special education teacher, goes to great lengths each year to celebrate National Autism Awareness Month in April. This year, Ms. Wargo, decked out in a black cocktail dress, welcomed people to the premiere of her documentary and after-screening reception at the Tusk restaurant in Montgomery.
”An ‘unforgettable evening’ was the word I got most often,” Ms. Wargo said. “The movie is an extremely powerful film, and the evening was in a lovely venue and atmosphere.”
Ms. Wargo will present her documentary to the Hillsborough community Thursday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Auten Road Intermediate School. The screening is free; all are welcome.
”Touched by Autism” is an inspirational film on how the Hillsborough community embraces autism through the eyes of its families, friends and educators. The project became a labor of love for the township all aspects of the film were completed in town. All those who appear in the documentary, from parents to teachers and autism specialists, have a connection to the township.
Ms. Wargo set out to make a documentary about autism from a perspective no one had tried, she said. What she created is a film from the heart of the families who deal with the disability.
Filming and editing (six hours of film were edited down to 90 minutes) were done with the help of Hillsborough High School senior Tom Sireci.
People may attend the May 17 showing without calling ahead, but people are asked to RSVP to [email protected].
Much of the time, similar films have focused on one part of spectrum of the disorder, she said, like a higher-achieving child, for instance.
Ms. Wargo interviewed 13 families, all from Hillsborough or with a connection to the township. Autistic young people ranged from age 5 to adult and varied in their verbal abilities.
When she asked people how they felt when they learned their child had autism, many of them said it was like a death, not of a body, but of their expectations, Ms. Wargo said a complete change of the life they envisioned for themselves with children.
One person told her, “It was like total darkness, and I could see no light,” Ms. Wargo said.
What turned out to be amazing, she said, was the transformation people told her their autistic children had made in their lives. Every interview ends up happy with people saying they wouldn’t change their life in any way, she said.
Families went on camera and said things from the heart no one could ever script, Ms. Wargo said.
Viewers at the premiere went from crying to laughing in a matter of minutes, Ms. Wargo said.
One person told her, “If I wasn’t crying or laughing, I was just inspired.”
One of the featured guests at the film’s showing was Andrew Duff, the first person in the Hillsborough school autism program, which started with one student and one teacher in 1993, Ms. Wargo said.
Mr. Duff is now about to graduate from college in Vermont with a degree in film, she said.
Ms. Wargo sees a future of showings at film festivals and making a condensed version that could serve as a training tape for school staff, parents, school board members and administration and for families.
Ms. Wargo had written lyrics for a song, and Joe Cassady composed the music into a piece, which ends the film. To top off the evening April 19, he performed it live, she said.