Global hosts screening of “Menschen” film featuring actor with Down syndrome

Story:
May 1945, as the Allies close in, an Austrian captain guides his remnant company behind the Russian lines to surrender to the Americans, taking under their wing a boy with a developmental disability. As the loyalty of his men is brought to the test, a dark secret from the captain’s past comes to light.

About Connor Long:
“Menschen” marks the film debut of Connor Long. Seventeen at the time of production, Connor worked with a dialect coach to speak his German lines in the film. Since filming, he continues his formal education, expanding his personal abilities and opportunities to serve as a role model while finding new challenges and having fun. A regular student in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Connor has enjoyed his roles on a variety of projects within the Colorado film and arts community. Connor hopes his work as an actor, athlete, model and advocate will speak plainly as to the inherent value and potential of differently-abled people everywhere. Connor is a regular at Global Down Syndrome Foundation events, and he recently biked with Global’s Dare to Ride Team at the 2014 Courage Classic bike tour in support of the Sie Center for Down Syndrome at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Director Statement:War is never black and white; there are many perspectives that bring out real color in an adaption. Most people do not put disability and WWII in the same sentence, yet the historical link between them sets the stage for Menschen. I used “Menschen,” the German word for people to convey the dichotomy of what it means to be human regardless of race or disability.