When he was a child, Alex Asrella thought he\u00a0had spent time with a series of babysitters. He didn\u2019t realize they were monitoring him for a different reason.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they were just there to play games with me,\u201d Astrella said in a phone interview. \u201cIt didn\u2019t really feel like therapy at the time, and my mom convinced me that they were babysitters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Astrella is neurodivergent<\/a>, a term that applies to people whose brains function differently from what is considered typical; it includes conditions like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette\u2019s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and others.<\/p>\n Those \u201cbabysitting\u201d days could also be draining, so to decompress after those sessions, he and his mother would\u00a0watch films together.<\/p>\n \u201cI was watching a lot of crime,\u201d Astrella said. \u201cProbably a little younger than I should have been, but my family is Sicilian. I had watched \u2018The Godfather,\u2019 even though I didn\u2019t know what was really going on, but it was really inspirational and drew me closer to my Italian heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n He also watched other films more appropriate to his age group, such as \u201cThe Land Before Time,\u201d \u201cToy Story,<\/a>\u201d \u201cFinding Nemo<\/a>,\u201d \u201cIron Giant,\u201d and \u201cA Nightmare Before Christmas<\/a>,\u201d which was a favorite of his for its stop-motion animation. Astrella said his love of film led him to pursue a double undergrad degree in sociology and film studies at UC Santa Barbara, where he also produced four films.<\/p>\n Astrella is now the founder and CEO of Blu Star Productions, an autistic-owned and operated company, which is set to launch its inaugural Blu Star Film Festival at the Frida Cinema on Saturday, May 2. It will also stream the festival online on blustarfilmfestival.eventive.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n The event will celebrate the convergence of art and neurodiversity<\/a> by showing films from eight different studios that employ neurodivergent adults. Some of those studios include Exceptional Minds and the \u201cLove on the Spectrum star Dani Bowman\u2019s DaniMation studio.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to give these neurodivergent filmmakers the opportunities that I\u2019ve had going to film festivals across the country,\u201d Astrella said. \u201cI want to give them their day in the spotlight and the opportunity to see their work on the big screen. We\u2019re hoping that, with this online platform, we can reach someone in Kansas or New Hampshire, and even though they might be on the other side of the country, they can still participate.\u201d<\/p>\n The eight different films span genres such as action, sports, comedy, documentary, narrative, animation and even puppetry. There will also be an opportunity for a Q&A session with the filmmaker after each presentation with the audience both in person and online.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a filmmaker and going to the festival circuit around the country, I love doing Q&As,\u201d he said. \u201cAt first, I dreaded it, but I\u2019ve just become a lot more confident in public speaking. Our goal is to have one or two moderated questions from our host, but we really want to open it up to the audience. Sometimes I come across audience questions I never would have thought of, and I\u2019ve had Q&As that have led to subsequent films of mine. It could also foster a collaboration or the creation of new projects, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re hoping for.\u201d<\/p>\n After finishing up his undergrad in Santa Barbara, he found himself at a crossroads: either move to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams by working his way through Hollywood\u2019s film industry or change course.<\/p>\n He decided to move back home to Dana Point, and while there, he says his mother noticed that he had been coming to terms more with his diagnosis. She recommended that he pursue a degree in special education to become a behavioral therapist and work with kids with autism and aid them the same way his therapists did when he was growing up.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought being in behavioral therapy was going to be a part-time thing, but ended up falling in love with it, \u201d Astrella said.<\/p>\n He earned his master\u2019s degree at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and while there, for the first time, felt confident enough to come out publicly about his diagnosis. Although he had spent a lot of his time going to behavioral therapy sessions as a kid, Astella hadn\u2019t come to terms with being neurodivergent until high school. Even then, he kept that to himself, and he was often bullied.<\/p>\n However, while pursuing his degree in special education, Astrella found purpose in his diagnosis and considered how he could combine his passion for film and neurodiversity to promote art and awareness, which led him to found Blu Star Productions.\u00a0Then came the idea of hosting a film festival that champions neurodiversity.<\/p>\n He said his company works with Chapman University on internships, and some of the interns recommended that he host the event at The Frida Cinema<\/a>, which holds community events. When he met with Trevor Dillon, the director of programming, at the venue, he knew it was a good fit.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re really cool people, and their mission is to provide an inclusive theater that showcases the diversity of projects, which fits in line with our mission of inclusion and amplifying neurodivergent voices,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been tremendous to work with thus far.\u201d<\/p>\n Astrella said he hopes the festival paves the way for an annual event in Orange County and inspires other places across the country to do the same.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like neurodivergent films have their own flair,\u201d he said. \u201cWe really want to foster a sense of belonging. If somebody is tuning in from a rural spot or elsewhere in the country, and maybe they don\u2019t know much about neurodiversity, I want them to hopefully redefine their sense of possibility by looking to these filmmakers who are creating some kick-ass films.\u201d<\/p>\n Blu Star Film Festival<\/p>\n When: 3-11 p.m. Saturday, May 2.<\/p>\n Where: The Frida Cinema, 305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana.<\/p>\n