MetFilm Sales has announced that Disney+ has acquired Jerry Rothwell’s multi award-winning documentary The Reason I Jump for EMEA and Latin America. The film celebrated its world premiere in the World Documentary Competition at Sundance 2020 where it won the Audience Award, and subsequently went on to win multiple international awards, including BIFA 2021 for Best Doc.
Based on the bestselling book by Naoki Higashida, translated by novelist David Mitchell and K.A. Yoshida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida’s revelatory insights into autism, written at 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. “The film opens a window into an intense and overwhelming, often joyful, sensory universe,” say MetFilm Sales.
Directed by Jerry Rothwell, The Reason I Jump is produced by Jeremy Dear (The Ideas Room), Stevie Lee (Runaway Fridge), and Al Morrow (MetFilm Production). Executive Producers are Stewart Le Maréchal, Jonny Persey, Peter Weber, Jody Allen, Paul G. Allen, Rocky Collins, Jannat Gargi, Ruth Johnston, Carole Tomko, and Lizzie Francke. The Reason I Jumpwas supported from development through to production by the BFI using funds from the National Lottery, and by Vulcan Productions.
Disney+ is launching the film on their service in EMEA and Latin America to coincide with World Autism Awareness Day (2nd April 2022). The SVOD release through Disney+ follows theatrical premieres across many international territories, including the UK, USA, Canada, Japan and Norway, with theatrical releases coming up (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand).
