AILEMA

Description:

Amelia is a six-year-old dyslexic. When confronted with the unforgiving restrictions of the classroom, she uses her imagination to surprising effect in order to overcome her disabilities.

KIDS FIRST!® Adult Juror Comments:

Shows in a fun and creative way how people are sometimes different and how that's not a bad thing. It shows how a child sees things different from other children but users her imagination to make it work for her instead of getting depressed. It's very strong on imagery. You can see how Amelia finds reading a challenge and you also see how vivid her imagination is. Its greatest weakness is in defining dyslexia. Kids with dyslexia don't just see letters backwards; they sometimes see completely different characters. You quickly get a sense of what is happening in the story and get an appreciation for Amelia's artistic bent with the drawings on her wall. The middle shows how school places her in uncomfortable situations but she doesn't let that defeat her. You care about her, don't want to see her ridiculed and you want her to get through the assignment successfully. It wraps up neatly at the end. Well paced. There is one part that isn't credible, when +4 Amelia is stressed but it doesn't seem to bother her when she gets everything wrong. This screenplay would be a great discussion starter for disabilities and how to deal with them. It is very informative and inspiring.