'AutFest Film Festival: From Spectrum to Screen' Adds Animated Short by Woodbury University's Dani Bowman

    LOS ANGELES, CA, April 15, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Adventures of Pelican Pete: A Bird is Born, a short film written and directed by Woodbury University animation student Dani Bowman, a nationally known autism spectrum advocate, is among the films that will be screened April 22-23, during "AutFest Film Festival: From Spectrum to Screen," the first film festival celebrating autism awareness.

Bowman is one of two filmmakers diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum whose work will be showcased on Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m.-noon, at the AMC 30 in Orange, Calif.

Bowman also worked with the Autism Society to create a public service announcement campaign that seeks to increase public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the autism spectrum. Through a long-standing partnership between AMC Theatres and the Autism Society, AMC will show the PSA during the month of April in all of its locations throughout the country, in recognition of Autism Awareness Month.

"Autism Society feels the importance of giving a voice to people with autism," said Matthew Asner, Autism Society VP of Development. "We are honored that Dani Bowman, a supremely talented young animator who is also autistic, has created this PSA reflecting our desire to help all people with autism live a life of dignity and respect. We are proud of Dani and grateful for our partnership with AMC Theatres for allowing our voice to be shared."

"Dani's story is about how talent powers through all the obstacles that can get in our way," said Dori Littell-Herrick, chairman of the Animation Department at Woodbury and a long-time mentor of Bowman's. "Dani is a role model for students with autism, but she is also a role model for all students here at Woodbury and everywhere."

Bowman has premiered six award-winning animated short films at San Diego's Comic-Con over the past five years. Her shorts feature the voices of Joe Mantegna, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), June Foray and Stella Ritter, in addition to other voice actors on the autism spectrum. She also worked closely on Joey Travolta's Inclusion Films.

Nine feature-length films also are scheduled to screen during AutFest. They include The Accountant (followed by a Q&A with honoree Ben Affleck), Asperger's Are Us, Inside Out (followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera) and the Oscar-nominated documentary Life, Animated. The full list can be viewed at autfestasa.com.

About Woodbury University
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. The university ranks 15th among the nation's "25 Colleges That Add the Most Value," according to Money Magazine, and is a 2016-17 College of Distinction. Woodbury is a finalist for the General Community Service Award, a part of the 2015 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognition program. With campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles and San Diego, the university offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Liberal Arts, along with a Master of Business Administration, Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Science in Architecture. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture, Master of Interior Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture degrees, as well as a Master of Science in Architecture, Real Estate Development. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.

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