Our STORY
The Unexpected
What gets our attention? What gets us to think? It is the unexpected. The unexpected or unanticipated might be something we favor or something we don’t, but it is always a start. Encountering something unexpected, we consider why…why did I expect something else? This opens the door to questioning our attitudes and assumptions.
Andreas Balmaceda
The subject of our film is Andreas Balmaceda, a young man who is on the autism spectrum. As a child and into adulthood, he has confronted the negative bias of the assumptions that many people hold concerning anyone with a perceived disability. That is to be expected. What is unexpected are the ways in which he has transcended his limitations, how he has achieved his accomplishments and successes.
Central to his story are his 100K YouTube and TikTok followers, but that is just a number. More important is what is behind the number. What caught the interest of all those people? The answer, and a key insight into Andreas, is creativity and talent. The Gentle Giantis a story of dedication, ability, and perseverance.
The story of Andreas and his internet success is inspiring, but equally important are the strategies he employs in navigating the mundane world of everyday encounters and demands. People on the autism spectrum sometimes process information in a different way than most; sometimes misreading the emotions of others. How well someone like Andreas handles the challenges of everyday life will have a significant bearing on their future. An examination of the future prospects and expectations for Andreas and others like him will be a focal point of the film.
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ABOUT US
Our Vision
Eastern Life Films was founded in New York State as a not-for-profit film production company by it’s president, Alec Hirschfeld, in 2004. The company produced a three film series on farmland conservation in association with The Peconic Land Trust. These films were selected for screening at film festivals around the country. Eastern Life Films has been designated as a 501c3, publicly supported charity. As such, the three film series, Out Here in the Fields, was financed through government and private foundation grants as well as small donations.
Our Team
Alec Hirschfeld will be the film’s director and producer. He will partner with producer Rick Bravo, who will be the director of photography and film editor.
Mr. Bravo brings a lifetime of experience to the project. After a stint as a camera assistant, working with his dad on commercials, feature films and the iconic TV series, Miami Vice, the younger Mr. Bravo turned his career into an eclectic journey of camera work that included shooting televised games for every major South Florida sports team. He is presently in charge of the Miami Dade Police Departments Video unit. He is the Police Dive Team coordinator, and has taught Critical Incident Videography for the FBI.
The partnership of Hirschfeld and Bravo had its inception when Rick’s father, Ricky Bravo senior, became the camera assistant and then camera operator for Alec’s dad, Gerald Hirschfeld, ASC. The senior Bravo trained the young Hirschfeld as a camera assistant. The three, Hirschfeld, Bravo, and Hirschfeld, worked on six feature films together. Alec first met Rick when he was still a bump on his mother’s belly. Years later, the Bravos were working on the TV series Miami Vice, and when the show shot an episode in New York, they chose Alec to operate the “B” camera.