A good documentary for educating about Tourette’s. With support it, could become a great documentary.
A lot of people either haven’t, or have only heard stereotyped references to it like “the swearing disorder.” Tourette Syndrome (TS) is actually a neurological disorder that is characterized by tics, which are uncontrollable movements or vocalizations.
TS is often judged and misunderstood because of the stigmas that have been created by the media and and a general lack of information about the disorder publicly. I intend to change that.
Through the power of film, What Makes Us Tic is an insightful documentary that aims to promote Tourette Syndrome awareness in a positive way, and give a fresh perspective of what living with this neurological disorder is really like.
It will also provide resources for individuals living with the disorder, as well as their parents, teachers, friends, co-workers, or anyone else who may be affected by their TS. But ultimately this film really is for anyone who wants to learn more about Tourette Syndrome!
My name is Bella Marangoni, and I am a Canadian filmmaker and a high school student. I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome seven years ago, and ever since my diagnosis, I have been driven to change the way that people think about Tourette Syndrome, and mental health in general.
I have seen first-hand the injustices in the world towards people dealing with mental health issues, and I strongly believe the root of it all is a lack of education about mental health. Not very many people know what Tourette Syndrome is because they are not presented with the true, if any, information about the disorder. I plan to change that, one viewer at a time.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
~ Nelson Mandela
What Makes Us Tic actually started out as a school project in my grade nine year. Students were asked to create a meaningful project about any topic using any medium. For me, my choice was easy, I combined my passion for film with my passion for Tourette’s awareness, and thus my documentary was born.
I worked diligently on my project all year, and in the end was very proud of this 25-minute long resource documentary I had made for Tourette Syndrome. Although, because it was a school project, I did not have access to the same type of equipment that most filmmakers have, and therefore the sound and video quality was not what I had hoped for.
Now, I am creating a sequel to “What Makes Us Tic” which I am putting even more purpose, passion, and ingenuity into than the first in hopes that I can spread my enthusiasm in raising awareness for Tourette Syndrome across North America!
With your support, these funds will support my entire production, from equipment costs, to two shooting trips for interviews, to final distribution costs and film festival entry fees. Upon completion, I plan to enter this film into multiple film festivals, make it available as a teaching resource with coinciding lesson plans, and publish the film on YouTube so that anyone can watch it anytime!
What the funds will be used for:
- $1,500 — Will go towards equipment costs, which includes: editing laptop, an external hard drive, editing software, etc.
- $1,500 — Will fund my first interview trip which will be to Vancouver, where I plan to conduct lots of interviews with doctors, families, and the Vancouver Chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada.
- $1,500 — Will fund my second interview trip to Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. In Edmonton I will be able to conduct interviews I was not able to in grade nine, as well as re-film some of my previous interviews. In Calgary, I plan to again interview families and doctors, particularly in the Tourette Syndrome Clinic that is there.
- $500 — Will help with distribution costs; which includes: posters, DVDs, printed lesson plans to correspond with the film, and film festival entry fees.
I also have a prospectus available with greater detail for the usage of the funds. In addition, if I raise more than my goal, funds that are not used in production will be donated to the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada.
Thank you to any of my future supporters, your contributions big and small are greatly appreciated! Don’t forget that even if you do not contribute, just sharing it with the people you know will still make an impact. The point of this project is to make some noise about Tourette Syndrome awareness, so let us make noise with the instruments we have: our voice, and our social media profiles!
Participation Opportunity!!!
As I am currently in the production stage of this documentary, I am looking for interviewees who have any relative experience relating to TS. I want to get a variant of perspectives and experiences on TS for the film, and I would love to hear your story! And do not worry if you are not near my area, many of my interviews will be conducted over Skype so I can share the stories of people from all over the globe! If you are interested, please contact me at tic@bellamaria.ca.
My daughter is 21 but her tics changed and then the ocd got a lot worse.