The Exceptional Minds Behind Two Oscar Nominees

If you and your family enjoy attending sensory-friendly screenings at AMC, you may be amazed that young adults on the autism spectrum are making some of the movies you are watching. In fact, the artists at Exceptional Minds studio have their names on two of the past year's biggest films, both of which are up for the Oscar® for visual effects — the category these artists work in.
The young men and women of Exceptional Minds, who are on the autism spectrum, helped with visual effects cleanup for STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER and AVENGERS: ENDGAME, and this is not the first time they have seen their projects contend at the Academy Awards®.
In 2018, Exceptional Minds contributed to BLACK PANTHER, GREEN BOOK, FIRST MAN and SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, all 2019 Oscar nominees. They are credited on more than 80 movies, including every Marvel Studios release since the Exceptional Minds studio opened in 2014.
AVENGERS: ENDGAME is their eleventh Marvel film, which Exceptional Minds Executive Director David Siegel called "validation that autism and professional careers in the entertainment industry are no longer mutually exclusive."
"Our artists’ work on STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is another great example of a final chapter in a story that began when the world knew far less about the potential of those with autism," he added.
If you have seen either of these monumental films, you know how impressive and important the visual effects are to the stories. The SKYWALKER VFX were the hardest, most complex shots Exceptional Minds have completed to date.
Whether or not either film takes home the statuette, the artists' hard work has paid off, as they get to see their efforts and names on the big screen — and your kids and young adults with autism can see their films in a sensory-friendly environment at AMC.
We are proud to partner with the Autism Society to offer unique movie showings where we turn the lights up and turn the sound down, so moviegoers can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing. Now in its fourteenth year, our Sensory Friendly Film program is available on the second and fourth Saturday (family-friendly) and Wednesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month.
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is still playing in select theatres, so check your local theatre listings for specific sensory-friendly showtimes.