At 41 years of age, David was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. This late-in-life diagnosis and lack of treatment in childhood has left David with a lot of catching up to do. Although David is highly intelligent, he has a major blind spot: empathy and understanding of the human, especially female, psyche.

Aspie Seeks Love follows David’s journey to understand his Asperger’s, improve as a person, writer, and artist, and find a meaningful relationship. We’ll watch David explore the Pittsburgh autism community for the first time and compare notes with fellow “Aspies”. We’ll also watch David explore the world of OKCupid online dating and attempt to break out of his shell to form relationships in person. David’s quest will culminate in the Pittsburgh release party for his very first book, Meltdown in the Cereal Aisle.

I am inspired by characters with singular voices. Through documentary filmmaking, I hope to amplify the understated, overlooked, and disenfranchised perspectives often found on the periphery of the mainstream. I am particularly fascinated by creative people who express their visions and experiences constructively, through art.

My most longstanding passion has been at the intersection of creativity and mental health. In Aspie Seeks Love, David Matthews uses writing and art to cope with and express the symptoms of his autism. Our film specifically celebrates the therapeutic power of creativity and various communities existing around literature and the arts.

Learn more about Aspie Seeks Love at juliesokolow.com

This project is unique in the world of food films as it starts at the beginning of life and does not address weight loss. It revolves around changing societal standards to include children in adult meals, rather than separate them as hot dog eaters. Instead of dietary specifications, it offers approaches and attitudes to reduce food anxiety. It starts a conversation about alternative relationships to eating, allows for increased self-awareness, and presents an exciting opportunity to introduce children to new food. Instead of the fear and stress often associated with “getting kids to eat”, it brings inspiration to make eating enjoyable as a primary objective, emphasizing social interaction at meal times.

The writing and direction combination of Garrett Kennell and David Light places Dot above other short films. What separates Dot is that it’s nearly completed. However, we still have at least one more whole weekend of shooting to complete filming. We have utilized every resource we could, but we still need to finish filming and embark on a community engagement and development project. We want to ensure that the momentum for our mostly completed project continues. Without help, our ability to complete the film, spread the film, and use the experience to engage and foster creative growth in Pittsburgh all becomes compromised. Ultimately the goal is to build the film’s stature at festivals, but bring that experience back and begin showcases and discussion groups for filmmakers—especially young filmmakers—to share knowledge and ideas and encourage them to create films here in Pittsburgh. First and most importantly, however, we need to find means to finish this film.