Film producer and SU alumnus Frank DeMartini (A&S '83) will be on campus to moderate a discussion of the forthcoming feature film "Mozart and the Whale," which he co-produced. The film, starring Josh Hartnett and Radha Mitchell, is scheduled for general release early next year but will be presented at a special screening by the Beyond Borders film series on Monday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. in Watson Theater. Admission is free and open to the public.
A dramatic, romantic comedy, "Mozart and the Whale" is inspired by the lives of Jerry and Mary Newport, a couple who both have Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. "Mozart and the Whale" was written by Ronald Bass, an Academy Award-winning screenwriter whose credits include "The Shipping News," "Rain Man," "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "The Enemy Within," "The Joy Luck Club," and "Dangerous Minds."
DeMartini will be the guest of School of Education Dean Douglas Biklen. DeMartini contacted Biklen because of Biklen's work in autism. In addition to the screening, DeMartini also will take part in discussion groups and meetings with students, faculty members and administrators.
The screening is part of the film series Beyond Borders: The Illusion of Normalcy in Film, which is presented by the Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee (BCCC) and the Center on Human Policy, Disability Studies and Law. According to series organizers, Beyond Borders will examine a number of recent films that challenge the idea of "normal," particularly the narrow conceptualizations of
"normal" that identify, exclude and punish deviations from that standard, leaving only an "illusional" space where no one feels accepted and safe.
For additional information about "Mozart and the Whale," visit
http://www.hollywood.com/movies/detail/id/376271 and
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0392465/
For additional information about the Beyond Borders series visit
http://bccc.syr.edu or contact Maho Kasahara at (315) 443-0280 or mkasahar@syr.edu or Zach Rossetti at (315) 443-3137 or zsrosset@syr.edu.
