Barrie teen's film premiers in Hollywood
Arianna Goarley and her film The Tea Party have just returned from Los Angeles, where the film had its world premiere screening at the 26th Annual Dances with Films in Hollywood.
The 16-year-old Shanty Bay filmmaker returned from California to continue working on her With Grace Productions, a teen-owned production company focusing on female-driven stories highlighting themes of mental health, acceptance and community.
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Her film, a reimagining of the tea party scene from Alice In Wonderland, offers a fresh take on the popular fable told from the perspective of a young Alice who suffers from ADHD.
Goarley was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and ADHD three years ago. Since then, she has been working hard to advocate for mental health and neurodiversity, which led to the writing of this film.
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Goarley hopes the film will heighten mental health awareness, with an emphasis on ADHD and anxiety disorders.
"Alice becomes anxious when her friends arrive early to her tea party," Goarley said of the plot. "As her anxiety peaks, it triggers the characteristics of her ADHD to take on the form of characters from the classic fairy tale. Will Alice be able to find the coping skills to make her tea party a success?"
The cast features Azari Ollivierre, Anna Goldsmith, Andrea Matei, Lyrik Alkema and Geoeigh Wehby. Noah Hollinshead was the film's director of photography, and Olivia Ferguson and Marissa Brown supported the film.
The Tea Party is currently being submitted to national and international film festivals.
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