To mark World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st, intellectual disability charity L’Arche debuted a teaser for a new short film, entitled ‘Freebird’. Partnering with Canadian musician Jordan Hart and award-winning animation studio Tonic DNA, the charity produced a beautiful film that challenged the misconceptions surrounding Down Syndrome.

The plot follows the coming-of-age story of a boy with Down syndrome who learns to navigate the world with a loving mother, an absent father, a classroom bully, and a life-long crush. In the words of Nicholas Herd, assistant director and an LGBTQ activist who has Down Syndrome himself: “he becomes a soul-giver to his mother, and a freedom-granter to his father.”

We witness 45 years of life flash by in just a few short minutes. Not that it moves too fast to leave an impact - quite the opposite, as a combination of stunning animation and soulful storytelling communicates the quintessentially human story at the heart of this campaign.

L'Arche Canada - Freebird

CREDITS

Gold partners