Film Premiere!
Sunday, April 2nd at 2:00 PM
AUTISM PAINTS – Presented with the Spirit of Huntington
Regular Admission | Include Panel Discussion & Reception
SPECIAL PANEL
DISCUSSION BEFORE PREMIERE
ERICH PREIS – Founder
of Spirit of Huntington Art Center
DAVID STAGNARI – Producer, Photographer, Editor & Director
DOMINIC MAVELLIA – Board Member/Real Estate Developer
CHARLES EVDOS – Executive Director of Rise Life Services
You’re Invited to see the making of Spirit of Huntington's
Film Premiere – a documentary about the origins of the charity and our Founder
Erich Preis on his quest to fulfill a dream! 11 years in the making!
Autism Paints is a documentary film about a talented painter with Asperger's
Syndrome named Erich Preis. He took
over an abandoned gas station at 400 Park Avenue in Huntington, Long Island to
illegally start an art school for special needs children and war veterans.
Filmmaker David Stagnari was asked
to shoot this film with no money and no equipment. After many people abandoned
the production Stagnari used two defective cameras and nothing else, shot 30
hours of footage over a four-year period, spent $5000 of his own money and
worked over 2900 hours to bring this film to the public. Post production costs
was provided by Stagnari's friends, especially film school friend Bryan Singer, director of The Usual Suspects, Bohemian Rhapsody and the X-men
movies.
The technical issues appear in the film as a reminder that we all have a
challenge to overcome and can achieve our goals with the tools we have. This is
the first public showing at Cinema Arts Centre which is fitting since
everything that happens in the film took place across the street from the
theatre.
