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About The Film
Synopsis
Filmmaker Alexander Freeman who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of two, was raised by his loving and supportive parents but the one thing he has always wanted was to be in a loving relationship with a woman and to have a family of his own. When Alexander meets his life partner Orina by chance at a film screening his life changes forever for the better, especially when his daughter Maya is born. As Alexander and Orina raise Maya, have a commitment ceremony, start their lives together, and struggle with life's challenges, Alexander's parents learn to accept that Alexander can live a normal life independently and can be a great father despite their original views on the pregnancy.
Press
The Independent: https://independent-magazine.org/2023/11/11/interview-filmmaker-alexander-freeman-is-defying-the-odds/
Emerson Today: https://today.emerson.edu/2024/04/30/emerson-directed-films-aplenty-at-iffboston/
The Independent Critic: https://theindependentcritic.com/my_own_normal
Film Threat: https://filmthreat.com/reviews/my-own-normal/
Movie Going Rocks: https://www.moviegoing.rocks/p/sfdoc24part1
Beyond the Cinerama Dome: https://beyondthecineramadome.com/movie-reviews/my-own-normal-film-review
The San Francisco Examiner: https://www.sfexaminer.com/culture/movies-and-tv/sf-docfest-returns-showcasing-bay-area-talent-and-stories/article_88c39a58-1ec0-11ef-8fe8-7f98ffa3f4bc.html
The San Francisco Chronicle: https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/sf-docfest-guide-19475064
Kevin The Critic: https://kevinthecritic.com/my-own-normal-a-beautiful-stigma-shattering-doc-about-cerebral-palsy/
Beyond Chron: https://beyondchron.org/wrap-up-reviews-from-sf-docfest-2024/
Classic Couple Academy: https://classiccoupleacademy.com/filmmaker-5-with-alexander-freeman-my-own-normal
Eye For Film: https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/my-own-normal-2024-film-review-by-jennie-kermode
Featuring
Alexander Freeman
Orina Umansky Freeman
Maya Freeman
Linda Freeman
John Freeman
Susan Fellows
Barbara Hodge
Deanna Martinez Serrano
Brandon Golden
Erik Fattrosso
Dean Covert
Stephen D. Baker
Jeff Masotti
Alec Van
Jeffrey Salloway
About
Outcast Productions LLC
Outcast Productions LLC leverages the power of documentaries, short and feature narrative films, narrative series, music, music videos to passionately advocate for communities that are often voiceless in society, with a special focus on people with disabilities. At our core is moral lessons, the value of human life, and making a better world. This mission is pursued through carefully crafted projects.
The Crew
Alexander Freeman, Writer, Producer, Director
Alexander Freeman is an award-winning producer and director with cerebral palsy dedicated to producing and directing new media content that brings visibility to those otherwise ignored by society and reinforces themes of morals, ethics, and the importance of valuing human life. He has won multiple awards for his documentary THE WOUNDS WE CANNOT SEE which is available on his YouTube channel, OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo. He has written different feature narrative scripts, treatments, and a pilot episode of a narrative television series. He is the songwriter of the album I AM THE VOICE FOR ALL MY PEOPLE on his YouTube channel and other music streaming platforms. He graduated from Emerson College, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Production with a concentration in Directing. He is the founder and owner of the production company, Outcast Productions LLC as well as the founder and owner of a new streaming company for independent filmmakers to earn income, called IndieVistaFlix.
Brandon Golden, Producer
Brandon Golden is a storyteller at heart and the co-founder of the production company, Project 10K Films Inc. He loves diving into anything from long-form narratives to short-form TikToks. Currently, he's the Social Media Manager at Vita Coco, where he crafts content that ranges from serious and informative to completely absurd and goofy. He met his fellow producer Alexander Freeman at Emerson College. Their friendship and subsequent collaboration was the entry point to his winding path in documentary filmmaking. Brandon's previous works, BARREN TREES, and THE WOUNDS WE CANNOT SEE are currently streaming on Prime Video. As a devoted movie enthusiast, his goal is to recreate the same sense of wonder and escapism he feels every time he walks out of a theater.
Ariana Garfinkel, Consulting Producer
Ariana Garfinkel has served as Producer on six feature documentaries: ON THESE GROUNDS (SXSW, STARZ), NEVER TOO LATE: THE DOC SEVERINSEN STORY (PBS American Masters), YOU DON'T NOMI (Tribeca, AMC+), I AM MARIS (Netflix), BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS (SXSW, PBS Independent Lens) and BOYS OF SUMMER (ESPN, PBS). She was Associate Producer of TRUMBO and SYMPHONY OF THE SOIL, and produced narrative films by Lily Baldwin, among other projects. Previously, Ariana held positions in New York City at Miramax Films, Tribeca Productions and Reno Productions, and she began her career on location for HBO Films and Columbia Pictures. Ariana currently runs development for production company Bright Productions, together with Kevin S. Bright.
Michaelle McGaraghan, Writer, Editor
Michaelle is an Emmy nominated film editor who has spent the past 12 years collaborating with influential filmmakers such as Marc Smolowitz, Michael Ardnt, Pratibha Parmar and Jacqueline Olive. Her work has screened all over the world including, SXSW, PBS, MTV, and Disney+. She is a Sundance Art of Editing fellow, Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellow and Sundance Doc Lab Contributing Editor.
Executive Producers
Kevin S. Bright
Kevin S. Bright was Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-winning television series FRIENDS for its entire ten-year run, directing over 50 episodes of the show including all 10 season finales. Bright’s television credits also include In Living Color and HBO’s Dream On. He is Executive Producer and/or Director of numerous award-winning documentaries, including NEVER TOO LATE: THE DOC SEVERINSEN STORY (PBS American Masters), SXSW feature docs BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS (PBS Independent Lens) and ON THESE GROUNDS, and NUREONGI. Bright was also co-director of the short documentary WHO ORDERED TAX? (Audience Award, Nantucket Film Festival) and director of THE LION, a filmed production of the acclaimed Geffen Playhouse musical. Bright has several upcoming documentary projects in development at his production company, Bright Productions.
Claudia Bright
Claudia Bright is Co-founder/CEO of DoVE Project – Dogs of Violence Exposed, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the dog meat trade in South Korea. Her childhood in upstate New York instilled in her a blueprint for a lifetime of advocacy for the underserved and undervalued, and to this day she remains a committed guardian of children’s rights, animals in peril, and our planet. Claudia served for 4 years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster children in the Los Angeles County Superior Court and is a Founding Board Member of Global Watch Foundation which oversees an orphanage in Southern India. She is Executive Producer of SXSW feature doc BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS (PBS Independent Lens) and NUREONGI which premiered at the Seoul Eco Film Festival, the largest international environment film festival in Asia.
Marianne Leone
Marianne Leone is an actress, screenwriter and essayist. Her essays have appeared in the Boston Globe, Lithub, Ploughshares, Post Road, Bark Magazine, Coastal Living, Solstice, and others. She is the author of three memoirs, Jesse (Simon & Schuster, 2010) and Ma Speaks Up (Beacon Press 2017) and Five Dog Epiphany (coming from Akashic 9/3/24). She had a recurring role on HBO's THE SOPRANOS as Joanne Moltisanti, Christopher's mother. She has also appeared in films by David O. Russell, Larry David, John Sayles, Nancy Savoca and Martin Scorsese. JESSE is published in Italy by Nutrimenti.
Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper is an American actor. He has appeared in several major Hollywood films, including A TIME TO KILL, OCTOBER SKY, AMERICAN BEAUTY, THE BOURNE IDENTITY, SEABISCUIT, CAPOTE, SYRIANA, THE KINGDOM, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, THE TOWN, THE MUPPETS, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, LITTLE WOMEN. Cooper won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as John Laroche in ADAPTATION.
Full Credits
Directed by
Alexander Freeman
Produced by
Brandon Golden, Alexander Freeman
Executive Producers
Ladd Lavallee, Tammy Lavallee, Rory Read, Mary Savoy-Read, Claudia Bright, Kevin S. Bright, Chris Cooper, Marianne Leone
Written by
Alexander Freeman, Michaelle McGaraghan
Consulting Producer
Ariana Garfinkel
Music by
Chris Zabriskie
Featuring
”Darling Darling”
Written and Performed by
Stone Cold Fox
Directors of Photography
Mike Magilnick, Erik Fattrosso
Edited by
Michaelle McGaraghan, Ryan Egan
Additional Cinematography
Asa Reed, Alex Monto, Jingnan Peng, Jeff Masotti, Brian Hale
Camera Operators
John Freeman, Linda Freeman, Alexander Freeman, Orina Umansky Freeman, Bernard Pendleton, Deanna Martinez Serrano, Dan Halbert
Still Photographers
John Freeman, Linda Freeman, Alexander Freeman, Orina Umansky Freeman, Maya Freeman, Sara Nazim, Kirk Joslin, Warren Nelson, Jaylex Diaz, Sheri Lynn Johns, Deanna Martinez Serrano, Wes Reid, Stephen D. Baker, Curtis Knight, Linda Lee Scali, Ben Mercedes
Sound Recordists
Stephen D. Baker, Jack Bradley, Mark Gardner, Glenn Goettler, Jeff Masotti
Gaffers
Asa Reed, Dean Covert
Production Assistants
Orina Umansky Freeman, Wes Reid, Lily Kaufman
Colorist and Assistant Editor
Jack Ieronimo
Sound Editor and Mixer
Ben LeBeau
Mastering Engineer
Tristan Snyder
End Credits and Trailer Editor
Jeffrey McHale
Captions and On Screen Descriptions Michaelle McGaraghan
Audio Descriptions Narrators
Tristan Snyder
Nicole Cyrille
Graphic Designer
Drew McGaraghan
Public Relations
Ry Levey
In the creation of the documentary "My Own Normal," I embarked on a deeply personal journey, one that explores the intricacies of life, love, and emotional pain. My aim was not only to share my own unique life story but to invite viewers into my world as a father, a partner, and a filmmaker living with cerebral palsy. Through this film, I aspire to foster a sense of connection, empathy, and a newfound understanding of the concept of "normal."
From the moment I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, my life has been shaped by the unwavering support of my loving parents. However, although my parents did their best I always desired to experience the joys of a romantic relationship and to create a family of my own. The genesis of this documentary lies in the serendipitous meeting of my life partner, Orina, at a film screening. Our love story became a catalyst for profound change in my life, a change that was undoubtedly for the better. With the arrival of our daughter, Maya, our world expanded and our lives became richer than we could have ever imagined.
It is my hope that viewers will not merely be spectators but will be able to step into my shoes and experience life as I have, from my perspective. I want the audience to feel the intimate moments of joy, vulnerability, and growth that have marked my journey as a father and partner. The heart of "My Own Normal" lies in the evolution of perceptions, both my own and those of my parents. The film documents their transition from holding reservations about my ability to live independently and be a capable father to embracing the idea that I can, indeed, lead a life that is rich in love, purpose, and fulfillment.
I want this film to be a source of empowerment, a reminder that love has the capacity to transcend all boundaries. As a filmmaker and a father, my greatest desire is that this documentary will touch the hearts of those who watch it, inspiring them to embrace their own unique path toward their own version of "normal."
Director’s Statement
- Alexander Freeman
Upcoming Screenings
Gesa Power House Theatre Screening
February 26 at 7pm at the Gesa Power House Theatre, Walla Walla, WA
Emerson College Screening
October 24 at 7pm at the Bright Family Screening Room, Emerson Paramount Center, Boston, MA
San Francisco Premiere: San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, June 2 at 5:30pm at the Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA
World Premiere: Independent Film Festival Boston, May 7 at 5pm at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA
Screening Requests
To request a screening for the film, please send a message with details about the event, preferred date and time, and any specific requirements or instructions. We will review your request and get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you for considering our film for screening.
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Alexander Freeman - alexanderfreeman87@gmail.com | (617) 365-3993
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