The Marvels of Media Festival recognizes the outstanding media work of autistic media-makers through film screenings, an exhibition, and in-depth panel discussions. Autistic media-makers will have a chance to present their work to industry professionals and network with a community of filmmakers and artists while attending media workshops and festive events. The open call application form will be available soon for the 2026 Marvels of Media Festival, which will take place March 2026. 

Marvels of Media is an ongoing initiative that showcases, celebrates, and supports autistic media-makers of all ages and skill sets through the festival, workshops and more. Throughout the year, autistic visitors will be given guidance and instruction and taught how to express themselves creatively and tell their stories through audiovisual storytelling techniques related to puppetry for the screen, filmmaking, game design, and animation. Learn more about Museum of the Moving Image’s accessibility initiatives here.

This year’s Museum of the Moving Image programming and curatorial team includes Access Consultant Miranda Lee, Associate Curator of Public Programs Tiffany Joy Butler, Director of Education Leonardo Santana-Zubieta, and MoMI intern Alex Poppe.

Special thanks to this year’s Steering Committee of artists, spokespeople on the autism spectrum, and experts in the field who help to guide and produce this program:  

Jackson Tucker-Meyer, filmmaker and playwright 
Rosa Martínez, President and Founder of Strokes of Genius, Inc. 
Yaara Kedem, Film Event Accessibility Consultant and Producer 

The Museum has established the Marvels of Media Advisory Council featuring industry leaders including media executive William J. Abbott; Founder and Chairman of David & Goliath David Angelo; executive producer Rich Battista; neurodiversity advocate Wendy Belzberg; President of Landmark College Peter Eden; media executive David Epstein; actor and director Tony Goldwyn; producer Brian Grazer; media entrepreneur John Hendricks; President of the Jim Henson Foundation Cheryl Henson; Chief Executive Officer of Pioneer Works Mara Manus; media executive Judy McGrath; CEO of CableLabs Phil McKinney; actor Sue Ann Pien; media executive Josh Sapan; journalist Paula Zahn; media entrepreneur Strauss Zelnick; and director Tony Spiridakis.  

Thank you to the 2025 Screening Committee for reviewing and rating this year’s festival selections: Ronney Abadir, Tiffany Joy Butler, Julianna Canabal, Miranda Lee, Rosa Martínez, Alex Poppe, Jackson Tucker-Meyer, Leonardo Santana-Zubieta, Maureen Thedford, and Taylor Diamond. 

For the first time this year, Marvels of Media Festival expanded to art centers and theaters across the country that presented a selection of the 2024 Marvels of Media films. We thank our venue partners: Jacob Burns Film Center, North Fork Arts Center, and Gray Area.

Marvels of Media is made possible with major support from Sapan Studio, David Angelo / David & Goliath, and the Zelnick/Belzberg Charitable Trust.

Special thanks to our partners: 

Exceptional Minds
Spectrum Laboratory
TechKids Unlimited
Strokes of Genius

Pictured in slideshow at top:  

1. Moderator Jackson Tucker Meyer and director-actor Sue Ann Pien, writer-actress Bella Zoe Martinez, and director Christina Phensy sit together for a post-screening panel discussion on opening night of Marvels of Media Festival. Sue Ann Pien reaches an arm to the audience. (2025) 
2. A packed audience in the Redstone Theater watches a film screening on opening night of Marvels of Media Festival. (2025) 
3. Filmmakers Rae Xiang, Jacob Lenard, Andy Nava, and Brendan Ratner sit in a row onstage at a post-screening panel discussion. Andy Nava speaks into a microphone. (2025) 
4. In the Marvels of Media Exhibition titled "The Adventure of Nature and the Senses,” museum educator Aldo Merino places a virtual reality headset on a museum visitor. (2025) 
5. Filmmaker Ambrose Peterman strikes a pose with his puppets at the Marvels of Media Festival. (2025) 
6. In the Game Lab, museum visitor plays Fizzy Adventure by Tech Kids Unlimited student Alex Lundqvist. A separate computer shows A Night for Flesh and Roses by game designer Elliot Rex White. On the wall, a large monitor plays a trailer for Marvels of Media Festival, presenting an excerpt from Daltokki by filmmaker Daniel Oliver Lee. (2025) 
7. Rosa Martínez, President and Founder of Strokes of Genius, Inc, and a workshop participant at the Marvels of Media: Collage Animation workshop. (2024)