Who Knew Premiere & Auction a big success

We not only sprang forward in time on Sunday but we sprang forward in our mission. WHO KNEW Dyslexia is a Way of Thinking made its debut at the Star Cinema, in Sidney, BC in front of 120 wonderful people.  It was an incredibly special afternoon!

It was a Premiere, a red carpet event, Laura had the Guest List as she greeted everyone, Julie made the entrances inviting with our posters and refreshments… and created a red carpet photo op in the theatre!

As guests entered the theatre they could pose on the red carpet or collect their auction item.  We had the entire Crew there, Kelly our Director, Dave - Sound, Adam and Ben - Camera ops, Lillie - Stills photographer and our Mentor, Maureen. We had the entire Cast, Julie, Abraham, Davey and Wynne, Manda, Evan and Koen…                     

Sue and Kelly, introduced the film and afterwards Cast and Crew took questions… it was a star studded event because everyone was a star in this incredible achievement … flowers and kudos to all our benefactors, heplers, auction donors and bidders, students, location donors, Board past and present, THANK YOU for being part of spreading this information to all those who will benefit!

Kelly will be entering the documentary into Film Festivals and a festival will not accept a film if it is on general release, so until then we will be arranging private viewings.  You can contact Sue or Laura via info@thewds.org to arrange such a viewing.  Telus Optik will release it in the Fall, and then we will be able to release it on YouTube.

We are beyond grateful and excited to announce that the auction raised $2,600+ which will be used for program sponsorships… again, THANK YOU!

WHO KNEW is how phasing into WHO KNOWS what might happen !  Last week, Sue sent an email and the documentary to Jamie Oliver in the UK when she learned he is making a documentary on dyslexia for Channel 4… so truly  WHO KNOWS what will happen now !

Thank you to all of our amazing auction donors! To learn more about our donors and for more information on how you can get involved visit our page HERE.

The Telus STORYHIVE Adventure - Part 3

Well, WHO KNEW what came next... I certainly didn’t… and I was identified as the Producer!  Luckily Kelly Conlin, our Director, knew what she was doing and she transitioned from cinematographer to the role of Editor. I edit our Come to the Dyslexic Table audio recordings to make them into podcasts, and I know how long that takes…. an hour of recording can take at least 8 hours to edit out all the ‘ums’ and ‘ers’. Kelly had to edit out the blips from two days of filming and then assemble the entire film.

She sent me the full interviews featuring myself, Manda, Dave and Julie. It took several viewings to get over the shock of seeing myself on a screen… pretty scary, I can assure you! Manda, Dave and Julie were amazing, so professional, sincere and so vulnerable; it was very encouraging. 

The first step was a Rough Cut. It was so interesting because before filming we had swopped our pictures verbally.  My picture was why dyslexia exists, the work we do, the need to prevent it happening, the impact on individuals and what needs to happen in the future. Seeing the Rough Cut enabled me to see what Kelly’s picture was.  She also needed to compose the film with transitions, different views and most importantly, I wanted her to show everyone our ability to alter perception.

Thus began a ‘to and fro’ process, with Fine Cut 1 and Fine Cut 2, then the Approval Cut that got sent to Telus STORYHIVE and eventually The Final Delivery including the Synopsis and the Box Art.

SYNOPSIS

A powerful documentary that challenges the general understanding of dyslexia and takes the audience on a journey to discover the gifts behind this unique way of thinking. Sue Blyth Hall is on a mission. She is a passionate, empathetic woman with a strong sense of justice, who is dedicated to bringing about change in how people see dyslexia. Her dream is for everyone to know the truths she uncovered, so that every child can enjoy their learning experience and fulfill their potential.

As a courtesy, I wanted to offer the cast an opportunity to see the film before they saw themselves on a big screen, so we invited them to Julie’s home for a private viewing.  I could not have been more surprised to see this fun signage on the door... and then when I went in… Julie had a full blown red carpet staged for us all! It was so much fun to watch the cast watching themselves… the children said they really enjoyed it. We had bubbly and popcorn and then red carpet photos… I think that might beat Christmas this year… the best gift ever!!!

So there we have it… and now its onto the Premiere in Sidney, March 9, 2025, the accompanying online and silent auction fundraisers, then Film Festivals and the Telus Optik launch in the Fall of 2025, all before the general release. I could not be more grateful for Kelly and Maureen leading this brand new ‘Producer’ through the whole process; their patience and wisdom were beyond measure, also the many friends along the way whose opinions and support were much needed. Thank you all… now Who Knows what will come of the screenings… an exciting year ahead!

IMDB