Thunderfeather started with a desire to share new kinds of stories that have never been told. Upon writing the first script, it became apparent that our protagonist was going to be autistic. We saw so many autistic characters portrayed by neurotypical individuals and we wondered if that had to be the case. We decided to hold auditions before the script was even finished, and it took us all of about ten seconds after the first audition started to determine that not only would our film include autistic actors, but that it would be impossible to create our story without them.
Our team first produced an experimental proof-of-concept scene featuring neurodiverse actors, including one on the autism spectrum. We found it to be a resounding success, and production quickly followed on our first film, The Thunderbird.
Since then we have continued working toward, believing in, and fighting for our cause. Along with continuing to create neurodiverse stories, we've reached out to actors with a history of mental and emotional illness, various learning disabilities, and have even included some neurotypical actors who believed deeply in our mission.
Many of these people thought they would never be actors or involved in film because of their conditions. We feel that everyone has a story to tell, and if we're not going to stop until we've told as many as we can.
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These are our films:
'The Werewolf's Girlfriend' was our first collaboration with neurodivergent and autistic actors. It is a short scene, involving a single conversation. The Actors were given basic instructions and then were asked to perform the scene according to their best artistic vision. This experiment brought about everything Thunderfeather has become today. Runtime is 2 minutes, 38 seconds.
Our first film project. Anderson is a young boy who doesn't necessarily act... normal. He finds himself hand-in-hand with something that should be terrifying... a werewolf. Together the two adventure through the woods of Anderson's underlying emotions, and along the way they meet spirit guides, lost kids, and pirates. In the end he finds out something about himself that maybe 'normal' people would never understand anyway. A majority of the actors are on the autism spectrum. Runtime is 13 minutes, 4 seconds.
Ogres are known for two things. Eating snacks, and being true to their hearts. This Ogre in particular finds that sometimes it's hard to do both. This is a loose in-world addition to Thunderbird and Ziggy. This film sought to highlight struggles with mental illness. Runtime is 7 minutes, 15 seconds.
Ziggy's brain is a little... different. Before meeting Anderson she had her own adventure through the woods. Through her wanderings, she learned what it maybe means to be a monster, and maybe what it never meant at all. As a prequel to the Thunderbird, Ziggy allowed us to further explore our style and filmmaking capabilities. This film prioritized working with actors on the autism spectrum. Runtime is 13 minutes, 50 seconds.
Currently in post- production. M011y is a robot in a post-apocalyptic world wondering what she's worth, or if she has any real value at all. A short, in-world story. This film sought to highlight issues facing objectification and female worth. This short was a screen test for one of the stories treated in Our Current Project (see below).
Our Current Project
We are excited to announce that we are currently in production for our newest project - Stories from Anotherworld. Principle photography has begun! Click here to learn more.
