Hi Everyone!
My name is Levi and well...
I like stories
I was eight years old when I made a 'writing room' under the stairs in my family's home. It was there I wrote my very first tale — a young boy befriends a werewolf and goes on an adventure to
battle a monster.
I realized at a very young age that something in stories and storytelling changed the way I saw the world. It turned it from a potentially dark, dreary or even terrifying place to a place of wonder, exploration, adventure and excitement — a place where I, and life, and everything really did have meaning.
But stories, of course, have conflict. Somewhere along the way I met my own monsters. If you'll allow a little personal information — challenges with mental illness entered my life and at times made me feel an outcast in a society where everyone seemed to already have their place. I wanted to express my creativity and it sometimes seemed like that was impossible.
By 2017 I had tried a lot of things. I'd been a part of everything from independent film to large budget T.V. productions. It was working on them I realized I wanted to, and possibly could make my own productions.
I wanted to give my own stories life.
I started by trying to find the right people. Until then many of my plans had been theoretical "future" projects. I didn't realize that the secret to making things happen would manifest themselves in the wonderful individuals I ended up associating with.
Some of those individuals were my spectacular actors. Their entrance into my life was unexpected. I had no idea how vital their beautiful minds would be to my art.
We had an overwhelming response. It turned out that not only were quite a few people on the spectrum interested in our project, but we later learned that many of them had a passion for acting and filmmaking but had figured they would never be allowed to do so because of their condition.all their life they had been fighting monsters of their own.
The auditions were unorthodox — we spent a while getting to know each other and making sure everyone was comfortable, then we would set up an improvisational scene.
Because there was a reason the story was still unwritten. The actors themselves were meant to aid in the development of the story. Their likes, passions and interests served to create their characters. The plot was based on them.
We have been able to make five films in this particular universe we now call Anotherworld. The name had roots in some family history and anyone curious about that backstory can buy our book of short stories.
Representation in the media can be more than important... sometimes it's lifesaving. Our films have made an effort to push boundaries and have included individuals of varying neurodiversity, as well as specifically including those that struggle with mental illness.
Two of the films have been completed with a few more on their way. Our dream is to make a full-length feature. Please let us know if you would like to be a part of this very special project by contacting us in the form below.
Oh, and that first film, The Thunderbird, the one that was created by a team of creative and diverse individuals... well it was only when it was finished I realized it was a story about a young boy who befriends a werewolf and goes on an adventure.
And together they face a monster.
I wanted my main character to be an individual on the autism spectrum, and until this point these types of characters had almost always been portrayed by neurotypical actors. I wondered if this had to be the case. We decided to go ahead and schedule auditions even before our story had been written.
We were astounded at the imagination, creativity and talent of our actors, and that was the moment I realized this project wouldn't only be possible with actors on the autism spectrum... but it would impossible without them.
We believe that each project is an amalgamation of those involved. Creativity should belong to everyone, and it isn't until everyone is included that we will be able to see all of humanity as one beautiful diverse family. Hopefully our first little story, with all it's imperfections, will signal the beginning of something great.
