Pictured (L to R): Bella Zoe Martinez and Matt Jones in Once More Like Rain Man. Credit: Sue Ann Pien.
March 10, 2025 By Shane O’Brien
The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) will host its fourth annual Marvels of Media Festival at the end of March, celebrating outstanding work created by autistic media-makers.
The festival will run from March 27 to 29 at MoMI, located at 36-01 35th Ave. in Astoria, and will feature screenings, panel discussions, workshops, and exhibitions celebrating autistic media makers.
For the first time ever, the festival will run as part of an expansion tour across the US from March 27 until April 30, opening the event to hundreds of thousands of people nationwide.
Admission to all Marvels of Media Festival events and screenings is free with RSVP, with audience members invited to enjoy a diverse selection of 22 new films, video games and two virtual reality experiences created by autistic media makers.
The program includes works by media makers of all ages and experiences, including “Once More, Like Rain Man,” directed by Sue Ann Pien, who starred in the Amazon series “As We See It,” and “Lone Wolves,” with a screenplay by autistic writer-actor Matt Foss and directed by Ryan Cunningham.
Josh Sapan, MoMI trustee and founder of Marvels of Media and Sapan Studio, said the Marvels of Media Festival highlights the “brilliant work” of neurodiverse media-makers and welcomed the expansion of the festival to venues across the country.
“I can think of no better fourth anniversary present for Marvels of Media than the theaters and art centers around the country that are becoming showcase partners of the Museum of the Moving Image,” Sapan said in a statement. “Now people who go to the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY or the North Fork Arts Center on Long Island or Gray Area in San Francisco will be able to share the experience.”
Sue Ann Pien, meanwhile, looked forward to making her directorial debut at the upcoming festival, stating that her film gives voice to autistic teenage girls.
“Expanding the audience’s understanding of an autistic female’s reality is a perspective changer for those more accustomed to stereotypically male depictions in film and television history,” Pien said in a statement.
“It’s a culturally relevant reminder that no one person is meant to represent an entire spectrum (just like not everyone with blue eyes or brown hair is the same). Once More, Like Rain Man gives a voice to a young autistic teenage girl’s own experiences finding her creative empowerment through the casting process.”
The Marvels of Media Festival will kick off with an opening night celebration on March 27, featuring welcoming remarks and a program of short films, including Once More, Like Rain Man. The opening reception will also feature a discussion with Pien, actress Bella Zoe Martinez, and Elegy for the Future director Christina Phensy as well as the opening of the Marvels of Media exhibition.
The festival is part of the Museum’s year-round Marvels of Media initiative, which showcases, celebrates, and supports autistic media-makers of all ages and skill sets.
During the festival, the Museum expands its accessibility efforts for visitors with autism through the creation of a temporary sensory relief space, providing complimentary sensory kits and introducing visual stories about visiting the Museum.
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