As a first-time documentary director, I was thrilled to be awarded a Greater Columbus Arts Council Individual Artist grant for my documentary Champions Together: An Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement Practitioner Works with Special Needs Children and Their Parents. My documentary was also made with the support of The Ohio State University Program 60 and the OSU Department of Theatre, Film and Media Arts.

I have an MFA in Film Production from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, and an MPA (Public Administration) and BA from The Ohio State University. I was a Senior Broadcast Producer for two public affairs, radio talk programs at WOSU Public Media, NPR station, Columbus, Ohio. I taught Screenwriting and Film History at the Columbus College of Art and Design and The Ohio State University.

Champions Together demonstrates how a somatic movement education method can awaken the brain of a special needs child to form new neural pathways, allowing improved physical, emotional and cognitive functioning. Specifically, an infant with a Brachial Plexus injury at birth regains full use of his paralyzed left arm at six months without having to undergo a 13-hour surgery. A three-year-old girl with Cerebral Palsy gains increased physical and cognitive functioning.

The ABMNM method is backed both by the science of brain plasticity and a somatic movement understanding of how a child teaches themselves how their body works. My documentary also shows the amazing human interaction between the practitioner, the special needs child and their parents—requiring patience and openness to new possibilities, instead of simply trying to ‘fix’ the child. The documentary’s title Champions Together reflects the reality of the team effort between the Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement Practitioner, the child and their parents.

Anat Baniel, the founder of Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement, is originally from Israel, where she was a student and close colleague of Moshe Feldenkrais, the genius founder of the Feldenkrais Method. Practitioners trained by Anat Baniel and Moshe Feldenkrais are now helping children and adults around the world gain improved functioning.

Making Champions Together fulfilled my dream to put my filmmaking training to creative use and to create greater awareness of the Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement, making a difference in the lives of special needs children and their families.