Freehand Films

29/12/2023

Honored and excited to share this short film that I've been working on for some time. I've been very lucky to get to know David Butts, a Mama Lu Parks dancer and torchbearer of Lindy Hop (a culturally significant and uniquely American dance).

It premiered at Lindy Focus last night!

I am so thankful for my friends David Mudre and Rafał Pustelny for helping me to light, dress, film, and craft this story.
Additional thanks go to the incomparable Bobby White and LaTasha Barnes for their assistance in approaching this important project. Deena Stuckey helped us to make the filming happen, and featured the work of Mrs. Debra Youngblood and the Mama Lu Parks dance ensemble.

This story is more than a dance; it's a living, breathing chronicle of joy, resilience, and community spirit. It is one that, in the words of David "could never die," if we keep it going.

Much love to my dance community for believing in the future of film as a medium to tell these important stories

The story of Lindy Hop is one woven through the generations. From the early days of swing, to the changing tides of the '60s and '70s, the Mama Lu Parks danc...

05/09/2023

Young women, from every country, deserve and require respect. And the work of Special Olympics, in partnership and in collaboration with organizations such as Speak Up Africa contributes every day in a meaningful and tangible way.

In Senegal, this partnership has provided resources, training, and community to embrace and uplift young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Speak Up Africa’s work ensures that individuals with intellectual disabilities are included in all public health initiatives and campaigns to prevent malaria, promote vaccination, prevent COVID-19 and improve menstrual hygiene.

It was truly a pleasure to produce this short documentary profiling the impact of this remarkable partnership as part of the 2022 Health Leadership Awards.

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This is film #5 in a 7-part series about healthcare heroes within the Special Olympics community whose worthy work is changing the status quo for those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Client: Special Olympics
Production Company: Freehand Films
Directed/Shot/Produced/Edited by: Ansley Sawyer
Producer and translator: the amazing and talented Abdallah Diollo
Soundtrack: Josh McCausland
Featuring: the incredible Yaye Sophietou Diop, representing the work of Speak Up Africa
Special thanks to: Mash Ntuthong, Charles Nyambe, Awa Ndao, Djinda Diallo, Assane Thiam, Maria Muller, and Rajah Diouri Sy

24/08/2023

This is film #3 in a 7-part series about healthcare heroes within the Special Olympics community whose worthy work is changing the status quo for those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Throughout her long career at the City-County Health Department in , Montana, Rebecca Morley has worked tirelessly to champion inclusive health. She worked to include people with intellectual disabilities in mainstream public health programs, and she trained hundreds of healthcare professionals so that the next generation can deliver quality healthcare to people with intellectual disabilities.

As she raised her own family in the community – including a son with intellectual disability – she was at the heart of building a deep and nurturing community. After a long career in public health, she was awarded the prestigious in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the intellectual disability community.

Thank you to Special Olympics Montana, including some Special Olympics Athletes in the walking club, for showing us true inclusion as we visited Missoula, .

Client: Special Olympics
Production Company: Freehand Films
Directed/Shot/Produced/Edited by: Ansley Sawyer
Producer: Rafal Pustelny
Soundtrack: Josh McCausland
Production Assistance: Mary Pittaway and Bill Salonen
Featuring: Dr. D’Shane Barnett and Dr. Meg Ann Traci
University of Montana

11/08/2023

CHILE [FILM 1/7]: Special Olympics + Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile

A year ago, I had the privilege to fully produce a body of work with Special Olympics and the Golisano Foundation to celebrate those who are making the world a better place for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
First of the seven videos in this project series: , !⁠
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For years, the dental faculty at the Universidad de Valparaíso has trained the next generation of dental students. Their training intentionally provides experience working with people with intellectual disabilities, conducting community outreach clinics, and addressing urgent referrals at the university clinic or mobile unit. ⁠
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We worked with Dr. Jaime Jamett Rojas (the program’s Director) to tell the story of their commitment to Chilean people living with an intellectual disability, and the greater Special Olympics Chile community. Special thanks to Dr. Jamett’s colleagues and team who were awarded the prestigious Golisano Foundation Health Leadership Award, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the intellectual disability , and to the Special Olympics local team Olimpiadas Especiales Chile for helping us to understand and to be a part of this story. Many thanks to the staff of the Los Fresnos school for their time. And my very special thanks to Rocio Ochoa for bravely sharing her story and her beautiful Chilean hospitality.⁠
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Client: Special Olympics
Production Company: Freehand Films
Directed/Shot/Produced/Edited by: Ansley Sawyer
Soundtrack: Josh McCausland
Production Assistance: Pablo Manuel Coloma Puga and Camila Quintana⁠

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11/08/2023

LEBANON [FILM 2/7]: Special Olympics + the Lions Club, Beirut
This is film #2 in a 7-part series about healthcare heroes within the Special Olympics community whose worthy work is changing the status quo for those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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In the face of challenging times, the collaboration across healthcare networks in hospitals, therapy centers, schools, and medical practices exemplifies the resilience and spirit of the Lebanese people. People like Dr. Adib Jaber and his colleagues are collaborating with Special Olympics to ensure an increase in positive vision health outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable among us. Their work reinforces the fundamental belief that healthcare is a right that should be accessible to all.

This project is a testament to the power of collaboration and the impact we can make when we . Huge thanks to the Special Olympics team and all involved in making this film possible. Together, we're driving an that celebrates our strength in diversity.

Client: Special Olympics
Production Company: Freehand Films
Directed/Shot/Produced/Edited by: Ansley Sawyer
Soundtrack: Josh McCausland
Production Assistance: Lynn Feghali
Special Thanks to Special Olympics Staff: Leila El Shenaway, Danny Mortensen, Onolee Stephan, Ayman Wahab, and Hala El Hussaini

13/06/2023

Over the coming days, we'll be sharing from a very special project in collaboration with Special Olympics that was commissioned late last year. We were honored to partner with this wonderful non-profit to feature 7 leaders from 7 countries whose is changing the world for those in the intellectual and developmental disability community.

We hope you enjoy these short films as much as we were honored and humbled to produce them!
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CHILE
For years, the dental faculty at the Universidad de Valparaíso has trained the next generation of dental students. Their training intentionally provides experience working with people with intellectual disabilities, conducting community outreach clinics, and addressing urgent referrals at the university clinic or mobile unit.
We worked with Dr. Jaime Jamett Rojas (the program’s Director) to tell the story of their commitment to Chilean people living with intellectual disability, and the greater Special Olympics Chile community. Special thanks to Dr. Jamett’s colleagues and team, and to the Special Olympics local team in Chile, who were awarded the prestigious in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the intellectual disability community. And my very special thanks to Rocio Ochoa for bravely sharing her story and some beautiful Chilean hospitality.

Client: Special Olympics
Production Company: Freehand Films
Directed/Shot/Produced/Edited by: Ansley Sawyer
Soundtrack: Josh McCausland
Production Assistance: Pablo Coloma and Camila Quintana

The School of Odontology of the Universidad de Valparaiso in Chile is the recipient of the 2022 Global Golisano Health Leadership Award. This is the highest ...

09/06/2021

We're so proud of the Mather team for no COVID-19 patients since the pandemic began!
Check out our film about the tireless and inspiring efforts of these first responders here: https://www.matherhospital.org/together-we-can/

Mather Hospital today has no COVID-19 patients for the first time since we diagnosed our first patient with the virus the third week in March, 2020. Congratulations and thank you to all of our frontline workers who worked tirelessly during the pandemic, and to our community for their continuing support!

20/04/2021

It was such a pleasure to film with Anjali for her upcoming . What a talented artist!

We offer full service as well as personalized . Whether it's , events, or fundraising, we're here for you.
Get in touch with us for your multi-media needs today!

Photography by our own Ansley Sawyer.

19/04/2021

Take some time to remember the things you love today.

Nomo Films

02/04/2021

This is Port Jefferson. Home to a beautiful community of , and committed to continuing the legacy of John T Mather. Mather Hospital⁠
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24/03/2021

This short film was produced to empower differently-abled children, and to share the story of their fight for equitable educational resources.

We are proud to partner with HedgeHog Health who truly and children daily.

Designed for sensory seekers and unique learners of all ages, to help you focus. Support their Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hedgehoghealth/the-hoglet-worlds-first-fidget-mouse Thanks…