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RAISING RYLAND

A DOCUMENTARY FILM BY SARAH FEELEY

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RAISING RYLAND

A DOCUMENTARY FILM BY SARAH FEELEY

WHAT DO YOU WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW ABOUT YOU, RYLAND?

"That it's cool that I have two different kinds of things. My cochlear implants and that I'm transgender."

-Ryland Whittington, Age 6

The FILM

PRESENTED BY CNN DIGITAL & CNN FILMS

The FILM

PRESENTED BY CNN DIGITAL & CNN FILMS

We created this special introduction to Ryland's story exclusively for CNN Films as part of a new block of original documentary programming on CNN.com.

RESOURCES

Do you have a transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender questioning child? We understand that you may have questions and need support. First, we want you to know, you are not alone! Wherever you may be in your journey of understanding, acceptance, and affirmation, there are organizations who can help, even if you are just getting started.

THE ORGANIZATIONS LISTED HERE ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE THE WORLD A SAFER, MORE SUPPORTIVE PLACE FOR LGBTQ PEOPLE, FAMILIES, FRIENDS AND ALLIES.

Featured

IF YOU ARE CONTEMPLATING SELF-HARM please call: Trevor Project's Trevor Lifeline at 866-488-7386 (toll-free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week).

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

TYFA empowers children and families by partnering with educators, service providers and communities, to develop supportive environments in which gender may be expressed and respected.

PFLAG is the nation's largest family and ally organization. Uniting people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) with families, friends, and allies, PFLAG is committed to advancing equality and full societal affirmation of LGBTQ people through its threefold mission of support, education, and advocacy.

PFLAG has over 350 chapters and 200,000 members and supporters crossing multiple generations of American families in major urban centers, small cities, and rural areas in all 50 states.

Gender Spectrum provides education, training and support to help create a gender sensitive and inclusive environment for all children and teens.

The TYEF mission is to share information about the unique needs of the transgender youth community, partnering with families, educators and service providers to help foster a healthy, caring and safe environment for all transgender children.

NCTE was founded in 2003 by transgender activists who recognized the urgent need for policy change to advance transgender equality. With a committed board of directors, a volunteer staff of one, and donated office space, we set out to accomplish what no one had yet done: provide a powerful transgender advocacy presence in Washington, DC.

Darlene Tando, LSCW, is a gender therapist, advocate, ally and educator who has been serving gender non-conforming and transgender children, teens and adults since 2006. She is the author the NASW Award-winning Gender Blog where she writes about gender and all of its intricacies, covers the latest research, and shares reflections from her work with gender non-conforming and transgender clients, as well as information about resources.

The Los Angeles Gender Center provides an environment of support, understanding, and safety while helping people explore issues of gender and sexuality. People come to the Los Angeles Gender Center to achieve peace with themselves and to better understand and support their loved ones. They continue to discover that LA’s first center for the exploration of gender and sexuality has the experience, expertise, and understanding they need.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center is building a world where LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal and complete members of society. It is Southern California's largest and most comprehensive provider of healthcare for transgender and gender non-conforming people.

The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes in creating a more vibrant and diverse community. We welcome any and all individuals as members, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or occupation, who are committed to seeing this philosophy realized in K-12 schools.

HRC envisions a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. For transgender and gender-expansive youth, parental support is incredibly important. In light of growing transgender visibility in recent years, more and more children and their families are looking for transgender youth resources. HRC is committed to providing the kinds of resources children, families and other youth-serving professionals need to support one another in their journeys.

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBT acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.

photo credit: Bonnie Breckenridge

OUR TEAM

Featured

SARAH FEELEY | DIRECTOR / PRODUCER

Sarah is a filmmaker whose work includes the highly acclaimed feature documentaries: IRAQ FOR SALE and WAL-MART. She is the creator/executive producer of My Side of the Sky a documentary television series she created for Hulu. Sarah has been working with the Whittington family for nearly two years and makes her feature documentary directorial debut with RAISING RYLAND.

Sarah directs, produces and writes for film, television and commercials. She's worked with leading companies, including: The Coca-Cola Company, Subway, Truth, EA, Polaroid, Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Entertainment. While at Vulcan Productions, Sarah managed production and strategy for the award-winning Vulcan Productions/WGBH co-production This Emotional Life. Sarah collaborated with Robert Greenwald and Richard Ray Perez on the ACLU-Brave New Films co-production The Freedom Files, which aired on PBS. During her tenure at Brave New Films, Sarah helped establish the company as the leading innovator in independent documentary distribution.

Sarah holds an MFA from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California and is a graduate of Boston College, where she majored in History. In 2013, Sarah founded Mile Marker Entertainment.

Twitter: @Sarah_Feeley

LISA REMINGTON | PRODUCER

Lisa Remington is an independent documentary producer who has worked with notable directors including Davis Guggenheim, Rory Kennedy, Lucy Walker, Geoffrey Smith and Robert Greenwald. Lisa most recently produced Davis Guggenheim’s short film for the Obama campaign, THE ROAD WE’VE TRAVELED, and Rory Kennedy’s HBO film about her mother, ETHEL. With Lawrence Bender, Lisa produced Participant Media’s chilling documentary on nuclear weapons, COUNTDOWN TO ZERO, which premiered at Sundance (US) and the Cannes Film Festival (International). She collaborated with Robert Greenwald on IRAQ FOR SALE: THE WAR PROFITEERS and the ACLU-Brave New Films co-production The Freedom Files, a nine-part documentary series, which aired on PBS.

Lisa has a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a minor in gender studies, and is a Sundance Institute Documentary Fellow.

KATE AMEND, ACE | EDITOR

Kate Amend is the editor of two Academy Award Winning Documentary features: INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS and THE LONG WAY HOME and is the recipient of the International Documentary Association’s inaugural award for Outstanding Achievement in Editing. Kate also received the 2001 American Cinema Editors’ Eddie award for INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS, and edited the 2001 Oscar-nominated documentary short ON TIPTOE: Gentle Steps to Freedom.

Her most recent film, THE CASE AGAINST 8, was an award-winner at the 2014 Sundance, South by Southwest, Vail, and RiverRun Film Festivals. Other credits include THE SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY (Los Angeles Film Festival, 2014), BIRTH STORY: INA MAY GASKIN AND THE FARM MIDWIVES (Audience Award, 2012 Los Angeles International Film Festival, FOLK (Nashville Film Festival and DOC NYC, 2013), CRAZY WISDOM: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, RINPOCHE, (2011 Santa Barbara Film Festival), FIRST POSITION, (Toronto International Film Festival, 2011), ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT, (Best Documentary Editing: 2010 Woodstock Film Festival) and MAN FROM PLAINS (2007), directed by Jonathan Demme, and a triple- award winner at the 2007 Venice Film Festival.

Kate was recently elected to the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and sits on the Board of Directors of the American Cinema Editors. She is on the faculty of the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, and has been an advisor at the Sundance Institute Documentary Editing and Storytelling Lab since June 2004. Kate has appeared on panels for the Sundance Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Los Angeles International Film Festival, Hot Docs Toronto, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, IDA, and American Cinema Editors.

ED BARGUIARENA | COMPOSER

Ed is a composer, musician, producer, educator, and music curator. Recent projects include original music for the acclaimed documentary Cesar’s Last Fast (2014 Sundance Film Festival, Netflix), and In Our Son’s Name, a feature documentary which will premiere at the 2015 Atlanta Film Festival.

Ed has received grants, awards, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Ford Foundation, The ASCAP Foundation, The American Music Center, and the Sundance Institute. He is also the consulting Music Director of Active Arts @ The Music Center of Los Angeles County, where he develops and curates hands-on events for non-professional musicians.

Ed’s wide array of musical interests include: field recordings in Botswana, modern interpretations of Billie Holiday at the Barbican in London, interactive orchestral concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, ukulele jam session with 300 people in downtown Los Angeles and more!

BRYAN DONNELL | DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Bryan Donnell is an Emmy-nominated director of photography based out of Los Angeles and is a frequent collaborator of prominent directors such as Morgan Spurlock and Lucy Walker. A short narrative film, Bean Cake, won the Palme d'Or for best short film at the Cannes film festival, and a narrative feature, Wait Means Never, won both Best Cinematography and Best Feature at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. Recent work has been as series co-DP on CNN's Morgan Spurlock: Inside Man (IDA award winner for best series) and work on Ashley York and Kristina Goolsby's documentary on Tig Notaro, which premiered at Sundance in 2015.