My Friends & I created this 4 minute short documentary about Natalie Trevonne: a model, stylist, actress, and podcast host who is blind. This film was made for the 2020 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge (on the 30th anniversary of the American Disabilities Act), which is currently in competition.

LINK: $1

We shot this film in one day last week w/ a 24 hour turnaround & are very proud of the final result. While the film is not audio described, it is mostly an interview piece of our visually impaired subject, Natalie, describing her life path as a passionate dancer who gradually lost her sight during her youth. We see a day in her life as she tells her story of transition, adaptation, power and hope. Throughout the film, pictures of her youth are shown and intercut with footage of her getting ready throughout her day.

The film begins with her stepping out of a vehicle in leopard print high heels and her white cane. Later, after the cold open, we see Natalie waking up from her bed in the morning. Browsing through instagram. Walking to the bathroom. Brushing her teeth. Applying lip gloss and make up. Sorting through clothes in her closet, feeling the fabric and material of each piece of clothing. Feeling through and then picking out a pair of shoes in her closet. Zipping up her chosen dress. Adjusting her dresses' strap. Putting on a gold necklace. Opening, then putting on her golden hoop earrings. Slipping into her high heels, then standing up one last time before leaving her apartment. When she stands, she is backlit like a silhouette from a low angle. This image is meant to serve as her final empowering moment before deciding to leave her home and go outside on a "new venture" of discovery.

Upon her exit, a more recent photo of Natalie modeling in front of a theater in New York emerges onto the screen. Below the photo is the following text: 10 years after Natalie lost her vision she gave her first solo dance performance. Soon after this picture and text, we see the performance in a video that was captured by her aunt (which was posted on her instagram & shared with us for this film). Towards the end of the powerful dance performance, the audience cheers for Natalie. The next photo of Natalie modeling in front of the theater has the following text beneath it: "In addition to being a dancer, Natalie is an actress, model, podcast host, public speaker and advocate for the disability community."

The next images that appear are pictures & snapshots of Natalie doing these things in her life, in the following order: Natalie behind the microphone during a recording of her podcast "Fashionably Tardy", Natalie posing on the red carpet during the 2019 Media Access Awards, Natalie dancing on stage, Natalie dancing on a couch next to a sleeping dog, Natalie singing and recording a song alongside her friend, visually impaired rapper and collaborator Ronnie Chism, a shot of Natalie modeling in a swimsuit, Natalie walking down a large hotel in Beverly Hills. We fade out from this image and open to the credit sequence.

Thank you so much for watching. We made this film about Natalie to honor the visually impaired community, and more broadly, to shine a light on and empower the disability community as a whole. Feel free to comment, like, and share with your friends and family.