ABOUT LEFT BEHIND

Did you know that 1 out of 5 people have dyslexia? How about that 47-50% of incarcerated people have dyslexia? Left Behind gives eye-opening insight into the ways that the public school system ignores the needs of students with learning disabilities and, in doing so, contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline. No matter how much a person may stand by the power and importance of public schools, there’s just no disputing that the current public education system is not built to help students with learning disabilities to succeed or thrive, and just about every single dyslexia-centered school in the country is privately-owned. Anna Toomey’s gripping documentary chronicles a group of advocates in their struggle to start New York City’s first public school for dyslexia. For more info - www.leftbehindthefilm.com/ 

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Anna Toomey is an independent filmmaker who started her career as an Emmy Award-winning producer for ABC News, Good Morning America, ABC News long-form unit, and Peter Jennings Reporting.  She worked on projects including The Gun Fight, an inside look at the NRA, The Century, Beatles Anthology, and the six-part series In the Jury Room. Anna, developed and directed her first feature length independent documentary Left Behind after her son was diagnosed with dyslexia and she discovered the inadequate resources for millions of children across the country.

ABOUT GREEN HUMMINGBIRD ENTERTAINMENT

Green Hummingbird Entertainment is a boutique studio based in New York and London with co-heads David Beal (former President of National Geographic Entertainment and Palm Pictures) and Emmy Award winning producer Sian Edwards-Beal. With a global development slate, Green Hummingbird is focused on inspirational, thought-provoking entertainment and telling heroic stories that harness the power of music.  

ABOUT VELVET STRAND

Velvet Strand is the production company of Irish musician and actor Larry Mullen Jr. and American producer Chris Farrell.  Velvet Strand looks to collaborate with filmmakers to bring surprising or unknown stories to the screen, particularly those which celebrate artists and musicians or those seeking to make a positive impact.

Director:

Anna Toomey

Producers:

David Beal

Sian Edwards-Beal

Chris Farrell

Larry Mullen Jr.

Executive Producers:

Juju Chang

Lisa Domenico Brooke

Dan Fougere

Stephanie Fougere

Sarah E Johnson

Ellen Lovejoy

Zofia Moreno

Jean Reno

Writer

Karen KH Simm

Editor

Brittany Kaplan

Director of Photography

James Fideler

Original Score

Oliver & Clare Machon

Dyslexia Fact Sheet

KEY STATS ABOUT DYSLEXIA

• Up to 20% of the Global Population is dyslexic¹
• 35% of entrepreneurs are dyslexic²
• 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic³
• Incarceration costs the US $80 billion a year.⁴

NOTABLE FIGURES WITH DYSLEXIA

¹  Cleveland Clinic

² Cass   Business School in London

³ Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

⁴ Department of Corrections