SYNOPSIS
Maggie (33) has it all: brains, beauty, an education, a fiancé, and plans for a family. Then a rare stroke leaves her with permanent disabilities. Her life falls apart and it feels like the end of everything … but it’s also the beginning of something else. As she recovers, she links up with other badass disabled women and together they discuss ableism, femininity, self-worth, chronic illness, chronic pain and the power of art. Creating theatre and art together, they inspire a community to heal and connect with empathy, compassion, and humanity. Maggie was unsure if she would ever act again, but eventually she lands a dream role in a high profile project. #ArtHealsPain
STROKE STATISTICS
15 million people suffer a stroke each year worldwide.
Stroke is the #4 killer and the #1 cause of long-term disability in the USA.
There are over 7 million stroke survivors in the USA.
Stroke kills 2x as many women as breast cancer each year, yet breast cancer receives 2.5x the amount of research funding in the USA.
stroke is an acquired brain injury.
over 3 million people have a stroke or brain injury every year in the usA.
Only 10% of stroke survivors make a full recovery.
Strokes in young people in the us are on the rise – 1 out of 3 three strokes each year are in a person under 50.
Thoughts of suicide are higher in stroke survivors as compared to those with heart attack, diabetes, or cancer.
DISABILITY STATISTICS
80 million Americans (1 in 5, 20% of the population) have a disability of some sort.
Less than 3% of characters in Film and television are people with disabilities.
80% of DISABLED characters in film and television are played by non-disabled actors.
Nearly 1 in 3 people with a disability lives in poverty in the us.
almost 70% of people with disabilities are unemployed. Among the unemployed, 2 out of 3 want to work.
Cast & Crew
Director, Producer: Dash Donato
Dash Donato is an award-winning director (D.G.A), screenwriter, and producer. Her feature directorial debut, Gossamer Folds, was nominated for “Outstanding Picture in a Limited Release Category” at the GLAAD Media Awards (2022), earned her “Best New Director” at the Brooklyn Film Festival (2021), and is now available on AppleTV, Amazon Prime, and Vudu. Her short film, Spunkle, won the Emerging LGBTQ+ Filmmaker award at Cannes (American Showcase, 2016) and was adapted into a 30-minute TV comedy show. The pitch was sold in the room to Warner Brothers in 2019 (unfortunately, the show did not find a network/cable home). She directed a Telly-winning DocuSeries about drag culture, Behind The Drag, which showcases the real lives of American drag queens. Since 2015, their short and feature films have screened at hundreds of film festivals worldwide, including Cannes, SXSW, Tribeca, Outfest, Frameline, and Bentonville. She has dedicated her work to the centering of people relegated to the margins. She’s earned a passionate following by telling stories that don’t shy from the unique struggles of female-identifying and gender nonconforming folks & communities, but focus on the power, resilience, and love they demonstrate in the face of them.
Producer (and subject): Maggie Whittum
Maggie Whittum is re-emerging into life as an artist, after having suffered a massive brainstem stroke in 2014 at age 33. She just finished acting in the world-premiere immersive experience created by David Byrne & Mala Gaonkar Theater of the Mind. She often performs with Phamaly Theatre Company in Denver, which exclusively casts actors with disabilities. Previous theatre directing and producing credits include All in the Timing, The Zoo Story, Into the Woods and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. She has directed and performed in Scotland, Colorado, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Beijing and throughout Canada. She also assistant-directed under Tony Award winner Rebecca Taichman and Peabody Award winner Emily Mann at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ. Commercial acting credits include MapQuest, Samsung and Starz/Encore. Maggie speaks at conferences, universities, hospitals, and medical schools about her story of stroke, disability and identity. She has spoken at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Georgetown Hospital, and Craig Hospital, among others. Maggie is a proud member of FWD-DOC (Documentary Filmmakers With Disabilities) and The D-Word (an online community for professionals in the documentary film industry). Maggie is a RespectAbility Fellow and a graduate of Colorado College.
Cinematographer: RoberT Muratore
Robert Muratore has worked professionally as a cinematographer for over twenty-five years, directing and co-producing several projects along the way. Aside from shooting several award-winning shorts, he has shot and co-produced the feature-length documentaries The People vs. George Lucas, The Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus, Doc of the Dead, 78/52 (the American Society of Cinematographers named 78/52 in a list of ten films of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Standouts for its cinematography), and Memory: The Origins of Alien for his company Exhibit A Pictures. Within the last few years he has shot several other independent feature films, both narrative and documentary, all in different stages of completion. In between the many feature films and short subjects, he has photographed a multitude of commercial spots, non-profit shorts and promotional films.
consulting Editor: eileen meyer
Eileen Meyer is a film editor based in Los Angeles, CA. She has been nominated for Best Editing by the International Documentary Association (IDA), Critics Choice Awards, Cinema Eye Honors, and was awarded the competitive Karen Schmeer Editing Fellowship in 2016. Her most recent work includes The Disappearance of Shere Hite (World Premiere 2023 Sundance Film Festival), Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain, (CNN/HBO) and the award-winning film Crip Camp (Higher Ground/Netflix), which won Best Documentary Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards and the IDA Awards, the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2021.
Other work includes Television Event (Doc NYC 2020), the Netflix Documentary Series The Devil Next Door, and Best of Enemies, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2016 and won an Emmy Award for Best Historical Documentary.
Editor: Jeffrey Schwinghammer
Jeffrey Schwinghammer is an editor working in narrative and documentary film. His work includes the award-winning short films Sugarhiccup, Reclaiming Pakistan, and Spunkle. He is a member of Sparkle Motion Films, a group focused on activism and social awareness stories told through personal stories. Jeffrey's editorial work also includes product and company explainer videos for clients including TEDx, Adobe, 3M, Maker Ed, and Mission Science. His current project is Radiant Atmospheres, a feature documentary about a ragtag psychedelic lighting collective in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their work creates colorful and evolving transformational spaces for communities using their own lighting creations as well as rare vintage lights. Jeffrey draws inspiration beyond film in the written works on kinesthetic movement and learning by Moshe Feldenkrais and Josh Waitzkin, the appreciation of nature and ecology in the works of Edward Abbey, the mythological examinations of Joseph Campbell and Jordan Peterson, and through travels on the road and trails.
news
The Great Now What was selected as a "Featured Project" with the Denver Film Society. If you or anyone you know would like to make a tax-deductible contribution (and help us make this film a reality!) please click here.
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The Great Now What was named a "Hot Film in the Making" by From the Heart Productions!
These films "have excellent concepts and brilliant filmmakers"
From the Heart Productions is dedicated to helping independent filmmakers with unique films that make a contribution to society get their films funded.
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We concluded our successful Seed & Spark campaign! Watch our awesome 3 minute crowdfunding video and “follow” our project on Seed & Spark to receive project update emails!
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