A Story of Courage
Ariana Feiner shares her story with her rare metabolic condition, Hypoparathyroidism. She spreads her message of hope through her work with her children’s book for kids with chronic health conditions, Ariana Rose: A Story of Courage. Ariana exemplifies that it is not our obstacles that define us; it's the way we face them.
-
Ariana FeinerDirector
-
Go North FilmsProducer
-
Ariana FeinerWriter
-
Ariana FeinerKey Cast
-
Phillip BeebeCinematographer
-
Project Type:Documentary, Short
-
Runtime:5 minutes 24 seconds
-
Completion Date:October 17, 2018
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Country of Filming:United States
-
Language:English
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
-
Student Project:No
-
International Conference on HypoparathyroidismChicago
United States
October 19, 2018
World Premiere -
Georgia Documentary Film FestivalAtlanta, Georgia
United States
June 1, 2019
East Coast Premiere
Best Director Award -
Georgia Shorts Film FestivalAtlanta, Georgia
United States
June 15, 2019
Best Micro Documentary Short Film Award -
Docs Without Borders Film Festival
Award of Exceptional Merit -
Oregon Documentary Film FestivalPortland, Oregon
United States
August 11, 2019
West Coast Premiere
Best Micro Documentary Short Film Award -
PBS Guam/GIFF Select Showcase
Guam
June 13, 2020
Official Selection -
Indie Short FestLos Angeles, California
United States
September 4, 2019
Official Selection -
Best Shorts CompetitionLa Jolla, California
United States
September 17, 2019
Award of Merit: Disability Issues & Award of Merit: Women Filmmakers -
WRPN Women’s International Film FestivalNassau, Delaware
United States
Award of Excellence -
AmsterdamLift-Off Online Film FestivalAmsterdam, Netherlands
Netherlands
October 6, 2019
Official Selection -
The European Independent Film Awards
November 5, 2019
Best Documentary: Platinum Award -
CineX Independent Film Festival
United States
October 4, 2019
Official Selection -
Paris Lift-Off Film Festival OnlineParis, France
France
October 28, 2019
Official Selection -
Atlanta DocufestAtlanta, Georgia
United States
November 9, 2019
Best Young Director Award -
Davis International Film FestivalDavis, California
United States
October 25, 2019
Official Selection -
Canada Shorts Film Festival (IMDB Qualifying)Saint John, New Brunswick
Canada
December 14, 2019
Award of Commendation -
London International Film FestivalLondon, England
United Kingdom
February 8, 2020
UK Premiere
Best Documentary Short Film -
Spotlight Short Film AwardsAtlanta, Georgia
United States
January 11, 2020
Spotlight Gold Award -
Spotlight Documentary Film AwardsAtlanta, Georgia
United States
January 11, 2020
Spotlight Gold Award -
Roma Cinema DOCRoma, Lazio
Italy
March 14, 2020
Official Selection -
Golden State Film Festival at TCL Chinese TheatreLos Angeles, California
United States
February 21, 2020
Best Documentary Short Film -
North Beach American Film FestivalNorth Beach, Maryland
United States
June 26, 2020 -
Maracay International Film & Video FestivalMaracay, Aragua
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
June 21, 2020
Official Selection -
Summer in the South Film FestivalAtlanta, Georgia
United States
September 4, 2020
Best Documentary -
Nice International Film FestivalNice, France
France
June 25, 2020
Science & Education Award -
World Cinema Antwerp BelgiumAntwerp, Belgium
Belgium
October 3, 2020
Belgium Premiere
Best Short Documentary
Ariana Feiner is an author, filmmaker, and educator living in Atlanta, Georgia. Her children's book, Ariana Rose: A Story of Courage, is an uplifting, rhyming story for children with chronic health conditions. Ariana is an advocate for her rare metabolic condition, Hypoparathyroidism, and works to spread awareness through her book donations and fundraising campaigns for research. Ariana uses her platform to impart her message of hope and advocacy through speaking engagements and book readings. Ariana’s children’s book and film are powerful resources for educators, counselors, pediatricians, parents, and nonprofits.
My name is Ariana, and my journey with Hypoparathyroidism began when I was 16 years old. The summer before my junior year of high school, I had a common thyroid surgery that resulted in a rare complication—the inadvertent removal of all 4 of my parathyroid glands. It turned my life upside down, and I spent years receiving life-saving treatments in the hospital.
In the process of re-inventing myself with a new identity as a young person with a serious medical condition, I wrote my children’s book, Ariana Rose: A Story of Courage. This book is an uplifting, rhyming story for children facing health conditions. The story gives kids easy mantras to say when people ask them about having a medical condition. It emphasizes that a health condition is a part of you, but it does not define you or the wonderful person you always have been.
It has become my life’s mission to add a voice of representation into the world for people with both visible and invisible disabilities. I have worked to weave everything I have learned in this journey so far into my documentary short film, A Story of Courage. I dedicate this film to everyone fighting an illness or a challenge in their life. It is not our obstacles that define us; it’s the way we face them.
With Love,
Ariana Feiner