Social Impact Media Awards - Swim Team
SWIM TEAM chronicles the extraordinary rise of a competitive swim team of diverse teens on the autism spectrum, capturing a moving quest for inclusion, independence and a life that feels winning.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Lara Stolman
Watch Swim Team on Prime Video, iTunes and Kanopy
Why did you make your film?
I was looking for a swim program for my own children when I found Mike and Maria McQuay at the Perth Amboy, NJ YMCA and discovered the Jersey Hammerheads, their swim team. The team was in formation at the time and it was shaping up to be a team comprised of diverse children and teens on the autism spectrum. It took all of two minutes for me to realize it was a story that needed to be told.
The families who were coming together to form the team and particularly the founders Mike and Maria McQuay were so motivated and positive about their hopes and plans for the team. Kids with autism are often segregated from their typical peers from an early age, missing out on all sorts of community involvement, educational opportunities and yes, sports. Mike and Maria refused to take “no” for an answer and were devoted to teaching the teammates that needed to learn to swim as well as training the more skilled teammates to dominate the competition.
Their approach was so refreshing from what I think was the norm for many of the families joining the team. Some of the kids were teenagers and had never been on a sports team before. They hadn’t been welcome before. And most of the families on the team couldn’t afford to be on just any team – this team was free in part because it was sponsored by the YMCA.
Why should you watch this film?
Well it’s funny and heartbreaking and exciting and moving – you’ll laugh and cry and think.
I think there’s a lot to learn in general if you’ve got a child with a developmental disability and they’re approaching the transition age. Hopefully the film will point out some important things like guardianship and the need to explore whether it’s right for your family. I also hope families caring for people with disabilities will find some renewed hope and positivity in approaching the future through the story of the Hammerheads.
For people who are new to autism and developmental disabilities, I hope this film serves as an introduction to the diversity of humanity and the gifts our autistic neighbors have to give.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is set in Perth Amboy, NJ and is very intimate in that we follow a few characters and their families very closely. But NJ happens to be the state with the highest rate of autism and Perth Amboy is a largely Latino community in a county with the fastest growing Asian population in the state. Our characters are “minorities,” underserved in autism services and underrepresented in media and yet they very much represent what our country looks like today. The story is about the specific struggles and triumphs of a small group; however they represent millions of families raising children with unexpected challenges today in the US and their stories are so relatable. I think this film is an example of how the specific can be universal.
How has the script and film evolved?
I had no idea which team members I was going to focus on when we started filming – we ended up closely following 5 characters but the whole time I knew I had to winnow them down because it wouldn’t be as interesting or as deep a film in the end with 5. I knew it had to be 1-3. In the post process it became clear that the relay team and in particular the three strongest swimmers on the Hammerheads, Mikey, Robert and Kelvin, had the most dramatic story arcs separately and together since they swam on relays together and their fortunes were tied together for the competition season.
Feedback thus far?
I’m so grateful for the positive feedback that actually began at the beginning of our editing process when the New York Times asked us to make a short film for their website. We later received grants from New York Women in Film and TV – Loreen Arbus and the Karma Foundation and were chosen for the IFP Lab. Finally and most recently the national non profit Easterseals has come on board as an outreach and engagement partner. We are in the midst of our festival run now and have won four awards and the festival invitations keep coming so we’re very happy.
Generally the feedback hasn’t been challenging. What has been surprising is that we’ve received such positive and enthusiastic reception from people in the sports community and to be honest, I never thought of the film as a sports film. I probably shouldn’t say that! Of course it’s a competition film and the competition forms the structure of the story and we’re all very serious about the competition – the filmmakers, the subjects etc. But I didn’t realize how well we had gotten it.
What are you looking to achieve?
We are still seeking funding for distribution to make the film as widely available as possible including a theatrical release and we welcome donations. We are fiscally sponsored by Women Make Movies and donations are tax deductible. Just visit our website: www.swimteamthefilm.com
Who are you looking to come on board?
We are working with the sales agent Preferred Content but are still available for distribution and film festivals.We are hoping the film gets seen as widely as possible.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Our DP Laela Kilbourn and our Co-Producer Ann Collins are on to other projects that I’m not sure I can reveal. Producer Shanna Belott and myself are very much in the midst of working on Swim Team’s distribution. We are making it available now for community screenings. If anyone is interested in screening the film for their organization or community, please get in touch at http://www.swimteamthefilm.com/
Interview: January 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Swim Team
SWIM TEAM chronicles the extraordinary rise of a competitive swim team of diverse teens on the autism spectrum, capturing a moving quest for inclusion, independence and a life that feels winning.
About the Director/ Producer/ Writer: Lara Stolman
Producer: Shanna Belott
Co-Producer: Ann Collins
DP: Laela Kilbourn
Composer: Mark Suozzo
Key Cast: Michael McQuay, Mike McQuay, Jr., Robert Justino, Kelvin Truong
Lara's work has appeared on NBC, MSNBC, TLC, AMC, VH-1 and The New York Times' website. Her film Portraits of Survival, about coming to terms with the tragedy of 9/11 through art was selected for the Hamptons International Film Festival, aired on MSNBC and was awarded the Cine Golden Eagle.
For Swim Team, her first feature documentary film, she was named an IFP Documentary Lab Fellow, awarded the New York Women in Film and Television Loreen Arbus Disability Awareness grant and was provided with completion funding from the Karma Foundation.
Lara has guest lectured on documentary production at NYU, served as a juror for the News and Documentary Emmy Awards and writes for the Huffington Post. She has a BA in Political Science from Columbia College of Columbia University and JD from Yeshiva University's Benjamin Cardozo School of Law.
Looking for: Buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Made in association with: IFP, New York Women in Film and TV – Loreen Arbus, Karma Foundation, Easterseals, Women Make Movies Production Assistance Program
Where can you see it next month: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, Reel Abilities Film Festival NY and SXSWedu.