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Meet Allison Norlian - A Compassionate Filmmaker: Advancing Inclusion from Community to Kilimanjaro
Allison is a three-time Emmy-nominated journalist, filmmaker, writer, and disability advocate whose latest documentary, Meandering Scars, world premiered at the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles.
She is the co-founder of BirdMine, a production company committed to amplifying underrepresented voices — particularly those in the disability community — through narrative and documentary storytelling. At BirdMine, Allison writes, directs, and produces films that aim to challenge perceptions and inspire social change.
In addition to Meandering Scars, Allison co-wrote and co-directed the award-winning short film Thirteen, a deeply personal narrative inspired by her mother and profoundly disabled sister. Thirteen has screened internationally, including at the Austin Film Festival, Austin Jewish Film Festival, and the California Women’s Film Festival, and is now distributed educationally through New Day Films.
Allison’s storytelling roots are in journalism. Over the course of her reporting career, she worked in multiple newsrooms across the country and wrote for digital outlets including Forbes Women, Healthy Women, and Business Insider. Her reporting — often focused on disability rights, mental health, and social justice — earned her a Catalyst for Change award from The Arc of Virginia and multiple Emmy nominations, including one for an investigative series exposing abuse at an assisted living facility.
Driven by her lived experience as the sister of a profoundly disabled woman, Allison has dedicated her career to ensuring people with disabilities are not only seen, but portrayed with dignity, authenticity, and humanity. Whether through the lens of a camera or the written word, her goal remains the same: to elevate the voices of those too often overlooked.
Off set, Allison’s coaching and creating content at ZOOZ Fitness, a gym for people with disabilities—or curled up at home with her husband and their kitty.
A link to THIRTEEN's trailer/distribution: https://www.newday.com/films/thirteen
Meandering Scars website: https://www.meanderingscars.com/
Meandering Scars trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WQ_E9p1Po
Instagram: @birdminestories @meanderingscars @thirteen_short_film
Website: https://www.birdmine.com/
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By Accessibility Accelerator: The PodcastAllison is a three-time Emmy-nominated journalist, filmmaker, writer, and disability advocate whose latest documentary, Meandering Scars, world premiered at the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles.
She is the co-founder of BirdMine, a production company committed to amplifying underrepresented voices — particularly those in the disability community — through narrative and documentary storytelling. At BirdMine, Allison writes, directs, and produces films that aim to challenge perceptions and inspire social change.
In addition to Meandering Scars, Allison co-wrote and co-directed the award-winning short film Thirteen, a deeply personal narrative inspired by her mother and profoundly disabled sister. Thirteen has screened internationally, including at the Austin Film Festival, Austin Jewish Film Festival, and the California Women’s Film Festival, and is now distributed educationally through New Day Films.
Allison’s storytelling roots are in journalism. Over the course of her reporting career, she worked in multiple newsrooms across the country and wrote for digital outlets including Forbes Women, Healthy Women, and Business Insider. Her reporting — often focused on disability rights, mental health, and social justice — earned her a Catalyst for Change award from The Arc of Virginia and multiple Emmy nominations, including one for an investigative series exposing abuse at an assisted living facility.
Driven by her lived experience as the sister of a profoundly disabled woman, Allison has dedicated her career to ensuring people with disabilities are not only seen, but portrayed with dignity, authenticity, and humanity. Whether through the lens of a camera or the written word, her goal remains the same: to elevate the voices of those too often overlooked.
Off set, Allison’s coaching and creating content at ZOOZ Fitness, a gym for people with disabilities—or curled up at home with her husband and their kitty.
A link to THIRTEEN's trailer/distribution: https://www.newday.com/films/thirteen
Meandering Scars website: https://www.meanderingscars.com/
Meandering Scars trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WQ_E9p1Po
Instagram: @birdminestories @meanderingscars @thirteen_short_film
Website: https://www.birdmine.com/