CHECK OUT A
PREVIEW
BEING MICHELLE is an award-winning feature-length documentary film about a deaf woman with autism who survived incarceration and abuse and now uses her artwork to depict the trauma she survived and heal from her past.
Click on Teal Button for Trailer with Audio Description
ACCESSIBILITY
SYNOPSIS
BEING MICHELLE follows the astonishing journey of a Deaf and Disabled woman who survived incarceration and abuse under unimaginable circumstances by a system that refused to accommodate her needs as a deaf person with autism. Michelle’s trajectory changed when she met Kim Law, a blind volunteer life coach who teaches classes to people in prison. Today, outside of prison, Kim and Michelle are doing the difficult work of unraveling Michelle’s history, of telling the story of Michelle’s traumatic childhood and her adverse experiences in the criminal justice system. With the support of Kim, Michelle realizes her own voice and strength. Throughout the film Michelle’s artwork provides her own depiction of the trauma she survived as well as a means to her recovery. Ultimately, BEING MICHELLE is a story of redemption. It is about the bonds between women committed to thriving in a broken system, who are forging a path to healing that can only come through facing the truth and communicating it, together.
“More than an estimated 750,000 incarcerated individuals have a disability. 32% of those in federal prisons and 40% of individuals incarcerated in jails have at least one disability.
Additionally, an estimated 153,000 deaf individuals are incarcerated in jails or state and federal prisons.”
BEING MICHELLE SOCIAL IMPACT CAMPAIGN
Are you interested in collaborating to ensure the basic human #RightToCommunication for Deaf, Disabled, Deaf and Disabled (also referred to as Deaf Plus) people in the criminal justice system? We are currently seeking sponsors and raising funds for targeted screenings in key states with our partner organizations. Make a donation today and join the movement.
Unlike large studios that have big production, advertising and publicity budgets, independent filmmakers often rely on small grants and donations to produce their work. Because of this patchwork funding landscape for indie filmmakers, we are rarely remunerated for the three - ten years it typically takes to make a high quality, well researched film.
All donations made to the project help cover these enormous costs and to continue this important work. all donations are tax deductible through our 501(c)3 nonprofit Thriving Roots Initiative.
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Screening & Speaker Request
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Upcoming Screenings
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Panel Discussion Recordings
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Festival Photos
What People Are Saying
“I was lucky enough to watch this film on Delta Airlines on a flight home, and I was so blown away that I went on Google and I found the filmmakers and I called them up and said, "Please come to my house for lunch." And they did. And I was very moved by the story of Michelle and the way this independent documentary was put together, obviously, with a lot of love and a lot of commitment and care and so much intersectionality, you know, whether you are somebody who comes at this through the different angles, you know for me, I have a daughter who is autistic, and when I read the caption on Delta Airline about an autistic woman and her challenges and struggles I thought, Let's watch that."
— ROSIE O’DONNELL
"Of the many things that struck me about this film - the one that will leave the most lasting impression on me is how all of Michelle’s artwork went to every edge, from the very top, to the very bottom, and to every corner of the canvas. There was no border and no room for a frame. In addition to ASL, Michelle utilized every opportunity available to her to express, to communicate and to share her story.”
— MARK MELANSON, Executive Director of CCLN
"I believe that this film should be mandatory viewing for everyone in every court system in this nation. Michelle's story tells the story of the devastating impact of solitary confinement, the devastating impact of being uniquely vulnerable in prison and jail systems because you are a person with disabilities, and again, so resoundingly, the fact that we don't take time to communicate with each other and that just results in misunderstandings that rob people like Michelle of decades of their lives."
— MARC FLIEDNER, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY DISABILITY RIGHTS NEW YORK
UP
COMING
IMPACT
SCREENINGS!
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A huge thank you to California Policy Center for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Strategies to Empower People, and California Community Living Network for hosting an amazing community Being Michelle screening event at The Crest Theater in Sacramento on June 25, 2024.
Thank you to all sponsors who made the event possible, including Gold Sponsors, Strategies to Empower People and Alta California Regional Center. Thank you to Teresa Anderson, Jacquie Dillard Foss and Mark Melanson for organizing an amazing committee that put this event together! Thank you to the amazing team of Deaf and hearing interpreters who made this event accessible!
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MARCH 13th, 2024 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM in FREMONT, CA
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MARCH 21ST, 2024 in RALEIGH & GREENSBORO, NC
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DONATE TODAY TO SUPPORT THE SOCIAL IMPACT CAMPAIGN FOR BEING MICHELLE.
YOUR DONATION WILL SUPPORT EXPENSES FOR MICHELLE AND OUR TEAM TO USE THIS POWERFUL FILM TO RAISE AWARENESS AND EDUCATE ON FUNDAMENTAL AND BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS FOR DEAF AND DISABLED PEOPLE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
OUR PARTNERS
