Cory Reeder, whose short film “Best Friend” played the 2017 edition of Washington West, has a new project that the filmmaker says is his most personal work yet.
“Hyper Active” is a short film that has Reeder turn the camera toward himself, revealing that he was recently diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
“My recent ADHD diagnosis was something that I didn’t see coming,” Reeder wrote to WWFF. “ADHD is only one of the many invisible disabilities millions of people cope with on a daily basis.
“Because of fear, shame and judgement, I almost quit the film three times. Now that the film is public, facing that fear has been my biggest reward. So many PWD friends have shown me support and many men have reached out privately to share their story or ask for help. I would have missed it all if I would have quit.”
Reeder’s film was created as part of the seventh annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, an event that he has taken part in six times before. The mission of Easterseals is to help create awareness for the equal representation of people with disabilities in media.
Easterseals took place earlier in July and made the participating films available for viewers as of July 25, which fittingly coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
You can watch “Hyper Active” below, through the official Eastersale YouTube channel, or on Facebook. Reeder also recently did an in-depth interview with The Hollywood Times.