Private Project

AMAZING GRACE

Based on the true stories of many families, Amazing Grace tells the story of a single mother caring for her adult son with schizophrenia.

  • Aiden Keltner
    Director
  • Emma Francisco
    Producer
    Harana (2012)
  • Benito Bautista
    Producer
    Harana (2012)
  • Aiden Keltner
    Producer
  • Aiden Keltner
    Writer
  • Deborah Gilmour Smyth
    Key Cast
    "Miriam"
  • Jake Millgard
    Key Cast
    "Isaac"
  • Merrick McCartha
    Key Cast
    "Dr. Philip"
    This is Us, All American, Criminal Minds, Senior Year
  • Aakash Raj
    Cinematographer
    Four Samosas, Arabian Alien, Teen Aur Aadha
  • Annie Becker
    Production Designer
  • Steven Doar
    Composer
    Dune (2021), No Time to Die
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Disability, Women
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 11, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Aiden Keltner

Aiden Keltner, a San Diego and Los Angeles based filmmaker, directed his first film when he was 8 and has been making films ever since. Because Aiden’s father is a psychiatrist and he has multiple family members with mental illnesses, the mental health community has always been a part of his life. Because of this, Aiden is dedicated to bringing light to underrepresented stories from this community. Aiden wants to use his voice as a filmmaker to tell stories of those with mental illnesses whose voices have been ignored and forgotten.

Because of his homeschooling background, Aiden was able to work professionally on sets starting at the age of 15 on a feature film. Additionally through high school, Aiden worked and volunteered on sets at graduate film schools such as the American Film Institute, USC, UCLA, and NYFA, in addition to working for graduates from NYU. From these opportunities, Aiden was able to sit in on lectures at these schools and learn from the students he worked for. This is also where Aiden met his current creative collaborators.

Aiden has directed multiple award-winning short films which have screened internationally at various festivals as well as being distributed on PBS' website. He is dedicated to his craft and will continue to tell compelling, powerful stories in the future.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Amazing Grace is an ode to the sacrifice of a parent and how the one they love most can also cause them the most suffering.

This film is very personal to me, as I have met and lived with many families who have lived this experience. I hope this film can build empathy for the struggle these families endure.

After I privately shared the film with some of these families, many of them had quotes about the film, which you can find at the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NKTos288uHU7J4t0sM4m4NI1vmidx6K_/view?usp=sharing