In the relatively short period Apple TV has been in the film and television business, the streamer has garnered a reputation for telling good stories with the best talent and production quality available. It is no surprise that some of its projects have been nominated for numerous prestigious awards, with some of them winning. In 2022, Siân Heder‘s Apple TV drama film CODA made history as the first movie from a streaming service to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.
It’s easy to see why CODA won — its story was fresh, and the cast was like nothing film had ever seen before. It was the first movie to win an Oscar while featuring a predominantly deaf cast. It added something different to the coming-of-age genre through its main character, Ruby (Emilia Jones). As a child of a deaf family, Ruby had been the connection between her family and the hearing world. But when an opportunity comes up, she is forced to choose between remaining in the comfort orbit of her family or striking out on her own. Heder is back with another equally impactful film, teaming up with Apple TV to bring the story to the screen.
The film is titled Being Heumann, and it is based on a true story. It’s 1977, and Judy Heumann (Ruth Madeley) is tired of the treatment she is receiving. As a young woman living with a disability, she is almost invisible, most of all to the bureaucratic machine. Her phone calls go unanswered, so she decides to make a different kind of call. Apple TV is giving the film a chance at the Academy Awards by giving it a 7-day theatrical run starting November 6 before it is available for streaming on November 13.
What Is ‘Being Heumann’ About?
With a small band of outsiders, Heumann decides enough is enough and takes over a federal building. What starts as a small act of rebellion to get the attention of a stubborn bureaucrat (played by Mark Ruffalo) ends up becoming one of the longest occupations of a federal building in American history. However, like any fresh movement that lacks institutional backing and years of established procedures, Heumann’s movement struggles to take steps forward when it has never been shown that such steps are possible. But they didn’t get this far to stop now, and what they’re doing could change the lives of millions. Heder co-wrote Being Heumann with Rebekah Taussig. Other cast members include Dylan O’Brien, Madeline Delp, Will Brill, Michael Patrick Thornton, Daniel Durant, and more.
Being Heumann opens in select theaters on November 6 before streaming on Apple TV on November 13.
via Collider