Much More Than That

One-liner: A family’s journey of finding their identity on the intersection of disability and queerness. 

Synopsis: 

Much More Than That is a 15-minute short film that delves into the lives of the Pollock family, who share deep connections that transcend their heritage. Jack and his mother Maria both live with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare and challenging condition, and are also neurodivergent. As members of the LGBTQ community, Jack and Maria navigate the complexities of life at the intersection of disability and gender identity. This poignant film also reveals how Maria and Jack continuously support each other in finding their identities. Through resilience and love, the Pollocks redefine what it means to thrive amidst adversity.

Much More Than That (Trailer)

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Cast: 

Jack & Maria Pollock: Jack (they/them) is a young disabled trans agender person who lives with their family in Chicago. Their mother Maria, who shares a genetic condition with Jack, identifies as non-binary and has realized this due to Jack’s coming out. Both share their emotions through art – Jack draws, while Maria plays piano. Both have developed an incredible amount of resilience to overcome their challenges together, but also each on their own. 

Crew: 

Karina Sturm (Director, Producer, Writer): Karina Sturm is a disabled multimedia journalist from Germany who used to live in San Francisco. She has a MA in “International Journalism” from Edinburgh Napier University and writes for German and US publications about chronic illness and disability with the focus on the accurate representation of people with disabilities in the media. Karina has been working with John since 2020, when she released a documentary called We Are Visible, which features people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome across the globe. Karina herself lives with EDS and many comorbid conditions and an invisible disability. She loves dogs, the ocean and sushi. 

Sponsor: 

Chronic Pain Partners/EDS Awareness: Chronic Pain Partners, a US-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was created in 2011 to support people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. It is an online resource for the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome community, their caregivers, medical professionals, and everyone interested in learning more about the genetic connective tissue disorder. We help create independent, local EDS Support groups, host live webinars to help educate our members, caregivers and healthcare providers, and launched a program for nurses, and lately, we also produce high-quality video content and documentary films that will embrace “Nothing about us without us” and will all be produced by disabled filmmakers to ensure an accurate depiction of disability on screen! Find out more: www.chronicpainpartners.com

Music:

Maria Pollock

Editing/Sound Design/Color Grading:

Dhana Sauernheimer: Multi-talent Dhana is an intermedia generalist with comprehensive technical know-how. She is a number one contact for all things web technology, quick-witted concepts and does numerous tasks behind the camera. As a camera woman, she has produced cinematic work for several TV shows and commercials. After graduating from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich in 2010, Dhana started to design user interfaces and developed web applications for various companies in the games and media industry. Website: 

Lucas Fuchs: Lucas provides the know-how for all moving images and design. He is passionate about absolutely everything related to film production. Lucas plans, produces, films, and takes on numerous post-production tasks. He is enthusiastic about sound and image design, as well as 2D animation. In 2013, after finishing his degree in media design (IHK), Lucas became a freelance camera person and editor. In 2018 he received his degree in Design (B.A.) with a focus on film & animation and graphic design at the Technical University Georg Simon Ohm in Nuremberg.

Festival/Awards: 

TBC

Accessibility: 

Much More Than That is fully captioned in English.

Unfortunately, we were not yet able to provide descriptive audio for the film, but a transcript with image descriptions can be provided.