The Reason I Jump
Synopsis
The book, written when its author was unknown and only 13, is now a bestseller in 27 languages, and has become one of the world’s most widely-read guides to Autism, offering an extraordinary passport to another world.
The book's question-and-answer format gives a remarkable insight into the thoughts and feelings of an autistic person who cannot talk; a Rosetta stone that allows us to hear what it’s like to be autistic. This feature documentary is a cinematic translation of the experiences revealed in the book, weaving Naoki’s writings around stories of non-verbal autistic people across the globe, immersing us in their unique sensory worlds, full of intensity, richness, and beauty - and sometimes shadows and terror.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2020 - World Cinema Documentary Competition - World premiere
Grierson Awards 2022 - Winner - Best Single Documentary – International
Details
- Year
- 2020
- Type of film
- Features
- Running time
- 82 min
- Director
-
Jerry Rothwell
- Producer
- Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow
- Executive Producer
- Stewart Le Maréchal, Jonny Persey, Peter Webber, Paul G. Allen, Rocky Collins, Jannat Gargai, Ruth Johnston, Carole Tomko, Lizzie Francke; Co-Executive Producer: Sara Edelson
- Editor
- David Charap
- Director of Photography
- Ruben Woodin Dechamps
- Sound
- Sara De Oliveira Lima; Sound Design: Nick Ryan
- Music
- Nainita Desai
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
US, UK co-production
Supported by BFI
MetFilm Production (UK), The Ideas Room (UK), Runaway Fridge Productions (UK), Vulcan Productions (US)
MetFilm Production
Ealing StudiosEaling Green
London
W5 5EP
The Ideas Room
56 Westover RoadLondon
SW18 2RH
Runaway Fridge Productions
56 Westover RoadLondon
SW18 2RH
Sales Company
MetFilm Sales Ltd
Ealing StudiosEaling Green
London
W5 5EP
Page updates
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See also
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How to Change the World
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Year: 2015
In 1971, a group of friends sail into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world's imagination. Using never before seen archive that brings their extraordinary world to life, 'How To Change The World' is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement.<br /> Sundance Film Festival 2015 - World premiere
Town of Runners
Director: Jerry Rothwell
Year: 2012
Town of Runners is a feature documentary made by award winning director Jerry Rothwell about young people from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, home to the current Olympic and World champions Tirunesh Dibaba and Kenenisa Bekele.<br /> The film follows three children keen to follow in their heroes’ footsteps, as they move from school track to national competition and from childhood to adulthood. <br /> Set against the background of the seasonal rhythms of this farming region, and the impact of increased urbanization, climate change and globalization on agriculture, the film shows rural young Africans striving to make their own future.
Donor Unknown
Director: Jerry Rothwell
Year: 2010
Donor Unknown follows the story of Jo Ellen Marsh, 20, as she goes in search of the sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150.<br /> <br /> Jo Ellen has always known her family 'wasn't like other families'. She grew up in Pennsylvania with two mothers, and a burning curiosity to know more about her anonymous donor father. When Jo Ellen discovers a unique online registry that connects donor-conceived children, she manages to track down a half-sister in New York. The New York Times picks up the story, and, over time, 12 more half-siblings emerge across the USA.<br /> <br /> The New York Times article also falls into the hands of Jeffrey Harrison, living alone with four dogs and a pigeon in a broken-down RV in a Venice Beach car park. In the 1980s, Jeffrey supplemented his meagre income by becoming a sperm donor at California Cryobank. His number was Donor 150.<br /> <br /> Donor Unknown follows Jo Ellen from her discovery of her siblings, to the moment Jeffrey steps forward to identify himself as Donor 150, to her decision to travel to California to meet him.