Outside the box: Inaugural Blu Star Film Festival uplifts voices
Collage by Riley LeBlanc, Photographer
In the shadow of Hollywood’s bright stardom, film festivals are often centered around prestige, red-carpet premieres with A-list celebrities, flashy cameras and electric industry buzz. The inaugural Blu Star film festival, taking place at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana on May 2, offers a mission that steers away from the typical glitz. It instead is focused on community, inclusivity and celebrating the voices of those often overlooked.
Behind it all is Alex Astrella, the owner of Blu Star Productions, an autistic-owned and operated production company. The Blu Star film festival welcomes films from eight different studios that employ neurodivergent filmmakers in the industry, celebrating artistry that is intentionally inclusive.
In collaboration with organizations like Exceptional Minds and Spectrum Laboratory, the event is designed to foster connection and showcase the power of storytelling across differences.
“I was diagnosed when I was 2 years old, and I immediately fell in love with film after I got (Applied Behavioral Analysis) services from the ages of 2 to 7 years old. I fell in love with a whole variety of films,” Astrella said. “It had a very profound impact on my life, and that's eventually why I wanted to not just be a consumer, but a producer of film.”
Astrella has since built a career for himself that blends his passion for filmmaking with his work as a behavior analyst, using both to display and uplift neurodivergent voices and challenge limiting narratives around autism.
“I meshed naturally with a lot of other neurodivergent filmmakers, and I wanted to give their films a platform like the ones I've been lucky enough to receive. It was a big inspiration for the film festival,” Astrella said. “A lot of times they don't have the luxury of going across the country and seeing their films on the big screen, these filmmakers just see it in a classroom or in a seminar room. That’s why I really wanted to do this event, so neurodivergent filmmakers can have their time in the spotlight.”
At this festival, students and supporters will find their way to the velvet seats at the Frida Cinema as their painstaking work is finally displayed on the big screen.
“Neurodivergent-produced or cast films have their own unique flair that's interesting that you don't see in work that's produced by neurotypical folks,” Astrella said. “It's a talent, as the autism community has grown to accept and provide a lot of outlets for these artists to create their work, and they're finally getting the recognition they deserve.”
Something that makes the Blu Star Film Festival especially impactful is not just the films themselves but the space it creates for each individual artist to have a voice and make connections. A live Q&A will follow each screening, where the audience can hear directly from the filmmakers and learn about their creative process. This immersive and collaborative experience encourages understanding and curiosity towards neurodiversity.
“There’s still a lot of doubt and focusing on the disabled part of neurodivergent filmmakers, but I truly believe it is a gift,” Astrella said. “(They) have a unique way of approaching art that doesn't exist anywhere else, and I've been very lucky to find that within myself.”
By bringing studios, artists and supporters to one festival, the festival offers something rare: a collaborative experience amongst neurodivergent creators who may not otherwise have an opportunity to connect, and, above that, gives them a foot in the door of the industry.
“Each studio kind of has its own unique mission and their own unique way of approaching art, and I want that to be emphasized because they make really amazing work that hopefully will go beyond the festival at some point,” Astrella said. “The bigger goal at the festival is acceptance for people who might not be familiar with autism or neurodiversity to say, ‘Wow, this is really good.’”
The presence of industry voices, including animator and “Love on the Spectrum” cast member Dani Bowman, founder of the studio Spectrum Laboratory Jason Weissbroad and CEO of Variety Dea Lawrence, reinforces the growing recognition of neurodivergent talent within the film industry. One that is starting to prioritize inclusion not as an exception or obligation, but as a standard.
“When I was at grad school, one of my professors was like, ‘I know you're neurodivergent, you're trying to do all these things, but you know, everything has to fit inside a box’, and that irked me,” Astrella said. “Always having this relentless mindset, I don't think I fit into a box with any of the work I pursue, and I don't think any neurodivergent filmmakers fit into any one shape or size, and that's a beautiful thing.”