Fw: dsc blind copy - DOWN SYNDROME MARRIAGE DEBUTS...

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Following is information on an HBO Documentary that will debut on October 14th.

http://www.monicaanddavid.com/

HBO DOCUMENTARY MONICA & DAVID, CHRONICLING THE EVENT-FILLED FIRST YEAR AND BEYOND OF A MARRIAGE BETWEEN ADULTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME, DEBUTS OCT. 14 DURING NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH

Blissfully in love, and are part of a new generation living with Down syndrome, who want what most adults want: love, work and independence. Chronicling their storybook wedding and the challenging start of married life together, the touching documentary MONICA & DAVID debuts THURSDAY, OCT. 14 (8:00-9:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO and HBO Latino, during Down Syndrome Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Winner of the Best Documentary Feature award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, MONICA & DAVID is full of humor, romance and everyday drama. Blending fly-on-the-wall footage and personal interviews, first-time director andra Codina (who is 's cousin) explores the complex lives of the newlyweds and the devoted families who support them.

The film begins with the wedding of the thirtysomething couple, in love and full of hope and laughter. By their side are two fearless mothers realizing a lifelong dream of a "normal" life for their adult children as they embark on one of the biggest journeys of their lives.

and 's parents encourage them to develop their own interests, while keeping them close to home and sheltered from the outside world. After the wedding, moves in with and her mother and stepfather, Elena and Bob, and the couple begins to dream of a more independent life. There is a constant grey line between the young couple's capacity as adults, and questions of just how much assistance they need, and whether their parents are willing to let go.

The mothers' biggest fear is what will happen when they are no longer there to support and . This concern leads to an epiphany for Elena, who poignantly comments, "As parents, we want people to look upon our children with special needs like anyone else. We want them to be treated with respect and with dignity... And yet, because we want to protect them so much, we are typically the first ones who treat them poorly by subconsciously denying them their rights to have a normal life."

After the honeymoon, the realities of everyday life resurface. When Elena and Bob move just north of Miami, and are also uprooted, disrupting the routines they rely upon. In the midst of the chaos, is diagnosed with diabetes, further threatening the couple's dream of autonomy.

Elena and Bob accompany them to Best Buddies, an organization that creates opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, where an employment consultant explains, "Ultimately, it's about independence � independence with support."

Gradually, and take the first steps towards more independent lives, volunteering for a family friend's charity sale, cultivating friendships in their new community and joining a theater company. And Elena and Bob learn that while they are concerned about the couple's welfare, it's important to let them go out into the world.

"There is a tendency to infantilize people with Down syndrome, but and 's love, and their desire for an adult life, are very real," explains director andra Codina. "Like all issues relating to adults with intellectual disabilities � dating, marriage, housing, employment, education, the future and parents' roles � there is no clear line. But there is a clear right for all individuals to pursue their dreams and potential."

She adds, "Each person living with a disability can have a completely different way of dealing with life's circumstances. What is so exciting is how many people who once would have been overlooked are now able to thrive in a variety of environments, including work and relationships."

andra Codina was named one of the "10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2009" by The Independent.

MONICA & DAVID is an HBO Documentary Films presentation; directed and produced by andra Codina; produced by Deborah Dickson; editors, Mahardt and Paola Gutierrez-Ortiz; cinematographer, Fenster; cinematographers, Zaldivar and Abel Klainbaum; composer, Schoenberg. For HBO: senior producer, Abraham; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

Read more: Breaking News - HBO Documentary & , Chronicling the Event-Filled First Year and Beyond of a Marriage Between Adults with Down Syndrome, Debuts OcT. 14 | TheFutonCritic.com http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/09/28/hbo-documentary-monica-and-david-chronicling-the-event-filled-first-year-and-beyond-of-a-marriage-between-adults-with-down-syndrome-debuts-oct-14/20100928hbo01/#ixzz11UUbrehzNotice: This message is confidential, intended for the named recipient (s) and may contain information that is (I) proprietary to the sender, and/or, (II) privileged, confidential and/or otherwise exempt from disclosure under applicable Florida and federal law, including, but not limited to, privacy standards imposed pursuant to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Receipt by anyone other than the named recipient (s) is not a waiver of any applicable privilege. Thank you in advance for your compliance with this notice.