Alexander Freeman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Alexander James Freeman June 19, 1987 |
| Education | Film Production (Directing), Emerson College, 2014 |
| Occupation(s) | Film Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Podcaster |
| Website | https://myownnormalmovie.com/ |
Alexander Freeman (born June 19,1987) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter with cerebral palsy. [1] [2]
Freeman was born in 1987 in Newton, Massachusetts. [3] He was interested in filmmaking from an early age and began to use his parents' video camera to create stories with his brother and a friend, including a makeshift version of Titanic in Brookline, Massachusetts. [1] His interest in the craft further developed during his time at Brookline High School, where he participated in the theatre program and took a life-changing video production class during his junior year. [1]
After completing high school, he worked for City Year in Boston, producing a recruitment film, before beginning his college education at Fitchburg State University in 2007. [1] A year later, he transferred to UMass Amherst due to dissatisfaction with his living situation. [1] Eventually, he found his niche at Emerson College, where he excelled in the film program and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Production where he specialized in Directing. [4]
Freeman's early works include a narrative adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven , which screened at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in 2008, and the documentary I Care: A Documentary About Independent Living, which led to his selection for the Very Special Arts/AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Apprenticeship program. [1] His film Meet Annabelle was also featured at the 2012 Picture This Film Festival and the Arlington International Film Festival. [1]
In 2012, Freeman made his directing dabut with the documentary The Last Taboo, which explored the sexual lives of people with physical disabilities. [5] [6] Two years later, The HSC Foundation honoured Freeman with the National Advocates in Disability Award for his advocacy work. [4]
In 2017, Freeman's documentary The Wounds We Cannot See chronicled Nancy Ross's struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and addiction. [4] He received the Best Director (Documentary Feature) award at the 2016 Independent Film Festival Awards in Los Angeles for the film. [7] The film also won Best Documentary Feature at the Long Beach Indie International Film, Media, and Music Festival. [7]
In 2024, Freeman's documentary My Own Normal which followed his life with cerebral palsy and his journey of becoming a partner and father and confronting the pain of his parent's reaction. The documentary world premiered at Independent Film Festival Boston. [8] [9] [10]
In 2025, Freeman's documentary True Value which is narrated by Chris Cooper, delves into the lives of several people’s experiences looking for meaningful employment, including Freeman himself, a filmmaker with cerebral palsy. Among others, CJ Jones, Jay Ruderman and Ola Ojewumi, are also included in the documentary. [11]
In 2025, Freeman also started the Remaking Normal podcast where he interviewed activists, creators, entrepreneurs, engineers and average people how they define what is normal. [12] [13]
Freeman is also the founder and owner of Outcast Productions LLC. [7]
| Year | Title | Contribution | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Poet | Writer, Producer, Director, Editor | Short film |
| 2007 | Young Heroes | Producer, Director, Editor | |
| 2008 | The Raven | Director, Co-Editor | |
| 2009 | The Tell-Tale Heart | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Editor | |
| 2010 | Meet Annabelle | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Editor | |
| 2011 | The Power of a Dollar | Writer, Producer, Director, Editor | |
| Faceless Beauty | Writer, Producer, Director, Editor | ||
| 2012 | Does Your Uncle Know? | Writer, Producer, Director, Co-Editor | |
| 2013 | I Care: A Documentary About Independent Living | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Co-Director, Editor | Documentary |
| The Last Taboo | Writer, Co-Producer, Director | Documentary | |
| Seven Days | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Editor | Short film | |
| A Life Imperfect | Co-Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Co-Director, Editor | ||
| Love and Hope of the Next Generation | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Editor | ||
| 2014 | One Day At A Time | Co-Writer, Producer, Director, Editor | |
| Thank You | Writer, Executive Producer, Director, Editor | ||
| Dark Into Light | Writer, Director, Editor | ||
| Barren | Executive Producer | ||
| Look At Me: Michael's Story | Writer, Editor | ||
| Jesse Hanson: These Words | Writer, Director, Editor | Music Video | |
| 2015 | The Bag | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Editor | Short film |
| A Little Hope | Writer, Executive Producer, Director, Editor | ||
| Depression: The Silent Killer PSA | Writer, Editor | ||
| 2016 | Going Up | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Editor | |
| 2017 | The Wounds We Cannot See | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Co-Editor | Documentary |
| What Jamal Saw | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Co-Editor | Short film | |
| 2019 | The Last Straw | Co-Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Co-Director, Co-Editor | |
| Blind Eye to Differences Kissed by Love | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Editor | ||
| 2021 | The Afterlife Office | Creator, Co-Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Camera Operator, Co-Editor | Web Series |
| 2022 | Making A Better Future | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Camera Operator, Co-Editor | Documentary |
| The Next Breath | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Camera Operator, Co-Editor | ||
| 2024 | My Own Normal | Writer, Producer, Director | |
| I Am the Voice for All My People | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Music Artist | Music Video | |
| Faceless Beauty | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Music Artist | ||
| One Home | Writer, Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Music Artist | ||
| 2025 | True Value | Writer, Producer, Director | Documentary |