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Refrigerator Mothers

An intimate portrait of an entire generation of mothers, already laden with the challenge of raising profoundly disordered children, who lived for years under the dehumanizing shadow of professionally promoted "mother blame."

It is America of the 1950s and 1960s, when a woman’s most important contribution to society is generally considered to be her ability to raise happy, well-adjusted children. But for the mother whose child is diagnosed with autism, her life’s purpose will soon become a twisted nightmare. Looking for help and support, she encounters instead a medical establishment that pins the blame for her child’s bizarre behaviors on her supposedly frigid and detached mothering. Along with a heartbreaking label for her child, she receives a devastating label of her own. She is a “refrigerator mother”.

Refrigerator Mothers paints an intimate portrait of an entire generation of mothers, already laden with the challenge of raising profoundly disordered children, who lived for years under the dehumanizing shadow of professionally promoted “mother blame.”

Once isolated and unheard, these mothers have emerged with strong, resilient voices to share the details of their personal journeys. Through their poignant stories, Refrigerator Mothers puts a human face on what can happen when authority goes unquestioned and humanity is removed from the search for scientific answers.

Filmmakers

Executive Producer

Gordon Quinn

Music

Hannah Marcus

Camera

Gordon Quinn
Tsuyoshi Kimoto

Post Production Supervisor

Jim Morrissette

Post Production Coordinator

Leslie Simmer

Sound

Jason O'Neill

Media

Awards and Distinctions

Normal Film Festival (France)

Official Selection

2010

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD, formerly NAMR) Media Awards

Winner

First Place

2003

American Film Festival

Official Selection

Perspectives Exhibition

2003

Council on Foundations Film & Video Festival

Official Selection

2003

Ohio Independent Film Festival

Nominee

Best Feature

2003

Superfest

Winner

Achievement Award

2003

Wisconsin Film Festival

Official Selection

2003

"Stadt Der 1000 Fragen" Film Series (Berlin)

Official Selection

2002

Double Take Documentary Film Festival

Official Selection

2002

Florida FIlm Festival

Winner

Grand Jury Prize

2002

Hot Springs International Documentary Festival

Official Selection

2002

Indiana Film Festival

Winner

Best of Show

2002

National Council on Family Relations

Winner

First Prize, Media Awards Competition

2002

San Francisco International Film Festival

Certificate of Merit

Golden Gate Awards Competition

2002

Sedona International Film Festival

Winner

Best Documentary

2002

Chicago International Television Competition

Distinction

Certificate of Merit

2001

Autism Society of America

Official Selection

Big Muddy Film Festival

Official Selection

Brooklyn International Disability Film Festival

Official Selection

Chicago International Television Competition

Official Selection

Ojai Film Festival

Official Selection

Ordina Film Festival (California)

Official Selection

San Francisco International Film Festival

Official Selection