Directed by Robert Rooy | 2017 | United States | 54 mins or 72 mins
After spending his early years in foster care, without language access, DJ ‘Deej” Savarese found a loving family and a life in words, which he types on a text-to-voice synthesizer. As he dreams of college, he confronts the terrors of his past, society’s obstacles to inclusion, and the often-paralyzing beauty of his own senses. In this first-of-its-kind collaboration between a veteran filmmaker and a nonspeaking autistic, Robert Rooy and DJ share editorial control as they navigate the challenges of representing autism. Deej is a story told from the inside, not by parents or “experts."
Educational Categories for which Deej is suited: Disability Studies, Education, Ethics, Public Policy, Medicine & Nursing, Psychology, Neuroscience, Social Work, and Sociology.
Deej refreshingly avoids the trap of speaking for a person with autism…. Deej enjoys remarkable access but avoids brash intrusion precisely by allowing Deej himself to dictate the terms of engagement…. Ultimately Deej takes several masterful steps forward in inclusive filmmaking." - Peabody Award Jury’s commendation
Awards & Broadcasts
Deej is the recipient of a 2017 George Foster Peabody Award. It was also nominated for a national Emmy Award in Graphic Design and Art Direction. It received a six-year broadcast window with America ReFramed on the World Channel.