The Reason I Jump | Winner of Best Documentary and Best Sound at BIFA
Staff Writer
18 Feb 21
We're delighted to announce that The Reason I Jump has won Best Documentary at this year's British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs).
"This award will really help the film in its intention to make the lives and experiences of non-speaking autistic people more visible," says director Jerry Rothwell, who accepted the award for Best Documentary in a virtual ceremony hosted by Tom Felton.
BIFA previously announced the first of this year's award winners for its nine film craft categories, with the award for Best Sound, supported by Halo Post, going to Nick Ryan, Ben Baird and Sara De OIiveira Lima for their work onThe Reason I Jump, an immersive exploration of nonspeaking autism.
Director: Jerry Rothwell
Runtime: 82 mins
Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, THE REASON I JUMP is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida's revelatory descriptions of his autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
Acutely observed moments in the lives of each of the characters are connected by passages from Naoki's writing, in which a young Japanese boy journeys through an epic landscape, gradually discovering what his autism means to him, how his perception of the world differs, and why he acts in the way he does: the reason he jumps.
The film distils these elements into a sensually rich tapestry that leads us to Naoki's core message: not being able to speak does not mean there is nothing to say.
