A new documentary short, 'Buried Under Years of Dust,' chronicles the story of non-speaking autistic woman Emily Grodin, who found her voice through an assisted typing device. Produced by Marta Kauffman of Friends fame, the film holds its world premiere Friday at the San Francisco International Film Festival. An exclusive trailer highlights Grodin's remarkable journey.
Emily Grodin spent much of her life unable to communicate verbally due to her autism. Access to an assisted typing device transformed her ability to express herself, as detailed in the documentary 'Buried Under Years of Dust.' The film is set to premiere on Friday at the San Francisco International Film Festival, with Grodin contributing featured writing based on her memoir co-authored with her mother, Valerie Gilpeer. Directed and produced by Sophie Sartain, it is produced by Marta Kauffman, Robbie Rowe Tollin, and Hannah KS Canter of Okay Goodnight. Sartain's prior credits include 'Seeing Allred' and 'Mimi and Dona.'In the trailer, Grodin reflects, “When I was very little, I was aware I was different. For 25 years, I was trapped inside a body without a voice.” A synopsis describes her breakthrough: after decades of failed therapies, her first words via typing were, “I have been buried under years of dust.” The film showcases her rich inner life through her writing.Gilpeer told Spectrum Life magazine, “The memoir was a way of shining a light on Emily. Mostly, I wanted to share her words with the world ‒ her insights and observations, and experiences.” Grodin added, “[C]ommunication comes in many forms. Verbal communication does not have to be the goal if something else works better.” The documentary will air on an upcoming season of PBS's Independent Lens.