Down syndrome Awareness Deedah DVD

Deedah is an honest, touching and often humorous account of a seven-year old girl’s relationship with her six-year old brother, who has Down syndrome – or as he calls it - “Up!” syndrome. The film’s title comes from the nickname the boy gave his sister at a very early age. The girl believes it was her brother’s first attempt at saying “sister.” The 26-minute film, shot in documentary news style, follows the siblings through their daily lives – at home, in school and in the community at large. Deedah tells us what it was like when her friends first met her brother. She says they were initially somewhat put off and concerned about his well-being. But now, she says, the children have embraced her brother as part of their circle of friends. However, stereotypes abound. The girl bitterly describes her brother’s experiences with bullying and says people often make inaccurate assumptions about him because of the way he looks and sounds. She says she hopes this film will open many people’s eyes to the unique talents and abilities of not only her brother, but to all people with Down (Up!) syndrome. Deedah describes her brother as smart, brave and funny, with a very bright future ahead of him. The film is a good introduction to Down syndrome, as well as a reminder that sometimes our perceptions of people are far from the actual reality. Deedah was produced, directed, shot and written by Brooke May, a former television news anchor and reporter who is now a stay-at-home mom to Deedah and her brother, Jonathan, in Savannah. The film was co-produced and edited by Joshua Jasso of Savannah’s West 41st Street Productions. Josh is the winner of a 2009 Telly Award for documentary film editing for the historical series “Phantoms of History.”