DON’T LOOK AWAY
(DIRECTOR/DP)

Born with a rare condition requiring over 50 cranial reconstructive surgeries, 36-year-old Corey searches for normalcy, love, and acceptance in a swipe-left, swipe-right world. The short film follows Corey’s daily activities to show how his facial difference impacts his life, friendships, family relations, romantic relationships, and careers and how these experiences shape his personality and perspective. In essence, Don’t Look Away explores how his look affects his ability to live “a normal life” and challenges viewers to question who is really missing out–us or them–when we reject those who look different.

Don’t Look Away is a proof-of-concept short film that is part of a larger story from Can’t You See - I Want To Be Treated Just Like You, a feature-length film that is still in production. Don’t Look Away is currently touring in film festivals.

Can’t you see - i want to be treated just like you
(director/dp)

Can’t You See - I Want To Be Treated Just Like You is a feature documentary that follows the daily lives and experiences of several adults with facial differences. It is common to hear facial differences described in pejorative terms like facial “deformity” or “disfigurement.” Similarly, mainstream media often portrays people with facial differences in a negative light, generating dangerous misconceptions that we are unapproachable, unintelligent, conniving, or damaged.

As a filmmaker and a person with a facial difference myself, I decided to make this documentary to create more awareness of the complex issues facing people with facial differences. The film will explore how the subjects' facial differences have impacted their friendships, family relations, dating, education and careers, as well as how these experiences have shaped their perspectives on the world. I hope to have a final cut by 2025.