SEIZURES

A HYBRID DOCUMENTARY FILM

Directed by Skylar Economy

produced by brad Lichtenstein & artemis fannin

ENTERING HER 30’S, filmmaker Skylar Economy reckons with the secret of her epilepsy.

SEIZURES is a hybrid documentary that combines Skylar’s personal story with stylized “memory scenes” of traumatic moments from her past.

THE STORY

Skylar Economy, a New York-based filmmaker, returns to her childhood home in San Diego in search of a long-awaited, definitive diagnosis for her epilepsy.

But what begins as a medical journey quickly becomes something deeper. Years of keeping her condition hidden have taken a toll on her relationships, especially within her family. What's more, her mother now expects her to eventually care for her younger brother, who also has epilepsy along with other disabilities — a responsibility that clashes with Skylar’s career in New York and her desire to build a family of her own.

As tension rises, so do buried memories of her childhood. To make sense of it all, Skylar enlists fellow filmmakers with epilepsy to help her craft stylized “memory scenes,” reimagining moments from her past through a cinematic lens.

Through the act of creating and performing these scenes, Skylar begins to untangle the conflict between her devotion to family and her need for independence — and, in the process, comes to fully embrace her neurodiversity.

MEMORY SCENES

The safety of her community of collaborators provides Skylar with a space to share her underlying feelings and face the stigmas she has avoided. Together, making these scenes allows Skylar to explore the meaning of her past and have more control of long buried traumas. The Memory Scenes evolve as she invites her family to observe and, eventually, play roles. Like THE ACT OF KILLING, FLEABAG, and DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD, these scenes and the process of making them add depth and layers to the storytelling.

SEIZURES will premiere at a major film festival and continue to reach audiences through the film festival circuit and, eventually, a limited theatrical run. We will work with an impact production team to partner with like minded organizations to host and sponsor screenings and events. Through a strategy of building audience and buzz, with the help of a publicist and robust social media campaign, the team will find a streaming home on a major streamer (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon...) and/or PBS and YouTube.

Deep partnerships will focus on convening educators, disability rights communities, policy makers, the medical community and advocates. We will create materials to support education and ask our audiences to take action. At each phase we will seek earned media for the film's messages and community. Our aim is not just to promote our film, but to elevate awareness of epilepsy and fight the harm of stigma.

WE’Re CHANGING THE EPILEPSY NARRATIVE.

WHY NOW?

1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetimes - more than MS, cerebal palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s combined. It claims more lives than breast cancer. Why don’t more people know this?

The answer is stigma stifles awareness and blocks momentum to research for a cure. And it keeps people with epilepsy in the closet.

Skylar’s story illuminates epilepsy and illustrates the importance of overcoming stigma.

IMPACT & DISTRIBUTION

In the safety of my community of collaborators, I share my underlying feelings and hopes as we work together. I face the stigmas I have run from and begin to build a loving relationship with myself. Our newfound friendships are strengthened as we help one another through the everyday challenges of living with epilepsy. 

As we film, my medical journey continues. Much is still unknown, and will play a big narrative role in the verite and the scripted worlds within this film. Will receiving a proper epilepsy diagnosis or new medication alleviate my seizures? Will building sets and recreating traumatic memories of past seizures help me process and move on with my life? Will it worsen the trauma? 

This story, one that's deeply personal yet resonates universally, is about finding strength in vulnerability, and turning hidden pain into powerful art.

1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime.

meet SKYLAR

Growing up with an older brother with disabilities, and having a disability myself, I understand what it’s like to be misunderstood and misrepresented in society - and in film. Throughout my filmmaking career, I’ve had a strong desire to amplify the voices of those who are typically unheard in mainstream media in order to connect us all as individuals - to show that we have more in common than we do differences.

This is the first personal film I’ve made - one I never thought I would make. Hybrid filmmaking helps me as the film’s protagonist and director to cope with the not-so-happy realities of my life with epilepsy.

Film has the power to engage with people of all different lived experiences from across the globe - it allows us to connect with people we may not connect with in our daily lives. Today, documentaries are seeking creative ways to reach a broader audience. I want to be a part of the vanguard bringing new approaches to this field and winning over audiences that might usually avoid films about topics such as epilepsy and disability.