02-17-2006, 10:11 AM
Autistic Filmmaker Breaks Down Barriers
Taylor Cross has always been full of surprises.
KABC - TV Los Angeles
17th February 2006
"When I was younger ... I was told that I might never be able to walk and talk. But I sure did show them didn't I?," Cross said.
Not only does Taylor walk and talk, the 16-year old from Thousand Oaks has already written, directed and starred in his own film!
"I've got it all mapped out ... I want to be director because I have a personal belief that Hollywood is not turning out very original stuff," Cross said.
Taylor's concept is original - an inside look at autism through the eyes of autistic children.
Taylor's first foray into film was a ten-minute "short." The response was overwhelming.
"It was amazing, we began to get emails from all around the world," Taylor's mother Keri Bowers said.
Taylor's mom has been a driving force behind this project, and Taylor's entire life.
"There were problems from the moment Taylor came home from the hospital," Bowers said.
But Keri was determined, pushing Taylor at every turn to learn, to explore, to use language before he was inclined to talk.
"I knew he could say a few words so if he was hungry and he'd say 'eat, eat.' I remember standing in the kitchen and saying give me two words, food please, and unless he did I would just walk out of the room and wouldn't feed him," Bowers said.
It's that drive to overcome the obstacles of autism that Taylor chronicles in his new feature-length film.
"I want to go to New York and I want to be a filmmaker," Cross said.
Taylor's collaborator on the film is producer Joey Travolta, brother of actor John Travolta, and owner of the "Entertainment Experience" in Encino.
"He's mushroomed into this cocky young man now. If you would've seen him two years ago ... I mean it is a remarkable difference," Travolta said.
A remarkable difference Taylor hopes his film will also make in the lives of other autistic children.
"We all have dreams, so all these kids being interviewed are expressing their feelings, dreams," Cross said.
Taylor's full-length film will begin screening at local schools in April which is Autism Awareness month. Taylor and his mother are still looking for more places to show the film. The film will also be available for purchase through their website with proceeds going to "Artists for Autism."
ENDS
Taylor Cross has always been full of surprises.
KABC - TV Los Angeles
17th February 2006
"When I was younger ... I was told that I might never be able to walk and talk. But I sure did show them didn't I?," Cross said.
Not only does Taylor walk and talk, the 16-year old from Thousand Oaks has already written, directed and starred in his own film!
"I've got it all mapped out ... I want to be director because I have a personal belief that Hollywood is not turning out very original stuff," Cross said.
Taylor's concept is original - an inside look at autism through the eyes of autistic children.
Taylor's first foray into film was a ten-minute "short." The response was overwhelming.
"It was amazing, we began to get emails from all around the world," Taylor's mother Keri Bowers said.
Taylor's mom has been a driving force behind this project, and Taylor's entire life.
"There were problems from the moment Taylor came home from the hospital," Bowers said.
But Keri was determined, pushing Taylor at every turn to learn, to explore, to use language before he was inclined to talk.
"I knew he could say a few words so if he was hungry and he'd say 'eat, eat.' I remember standing in the kitchen and saying give me two words, food please, and unless he did I would just walk out of the room and wouldn't feed him," Bowers said.
It's that drive to overcome the obstacles of autism that Taylor chronicles in his new feature-length film.
"I want to go to New York and I want to be a filmmaker," Cross said.
Taylor's collaborator on the film is producer Joey Travolta, brother of actor John Travolta, and owner of the "Entertainment Experience" in Encino.
"He's mushroomed into this cocky young man now. If you would've seen him two years ago ... I mean it is a remarkable difference," Travolta said.
A remarkable difference Taylor hopes his film will also make in the lives of other autistic children.
"We all have dreams, so all these kids being interviewed are expressing their feelings, dreams," Cross said.
Taylor's full-length film will begin screening at local schools in April which is Autism Awareness month. Taylor and his mother are still looking for more places to show the film. The film will also be available for purchase through their website with proceeds going to "Artists for Autism."
ENDS