Virtusio Public Relations, Inc.

AUGUST 25, 2011 – In conjunction with the premiere of the HBO Original Movie TEMPLE GRANDIN, HBO Asia worked with The Autism Society Philippines (ASP) to hold an exclusive screening of the Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winning movie on Tuesday, August 23 at the Quality Life Discoveries Center (QLDC), a premier rehabilitation center that offers holistic services to enrich the lives and to maximize the full potential of the well and differently-abled.

The event aimed to contribute towards the society’s continuous efforts to advocate and educate the public on the need for early intervention for children with autism.

Guests at this special by-invitation-only screening event - Board members and chapter leaders of ASP, officials of QLDC, government agencies and NGOs, volunteers, parents/caregivers of autistic children, and their teachers - were the first in the Philippines to watch the preview of this inspirational and touching movie, which will premiere on September 2 at 10pm on HBO / HBO HD.

Media and guests were given a tour of QLDC facility to showcase various program and facilities that parents could consider for the education of their autistic children. A panel discussion followed the screening with the representatives of HBO Asia and ASP, a developmental pediatrician, and the special participation of JR Tan and Gabby Atienza, two of Philippines’ very own “Temple Grandins”, as participants.

Like Dr Temple Grandin, Tan and Atienza have matured into productive individuals, with skills and talents that they learned despite their autism. Tan is now a senior student at the Messiah College taking up BS Accountancy, minor in Biblical studies. Atienza is an in-house artist of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders in Las Pinas City. Their lives give eloquent testimony to what Dr Temple Grandin says about autistic persons, “We are different but not less”.

Capping the event was a buffet lunch prepared and served by Abelardo’s Diner, a social enterprise that employs staff members with disabilities, including those diagnosed with autism.

About the movie
Winner of 7 Emmys®, 1 Golden Globe® and 1 Screen Actors Guild Award, TEMPLE GRANDIN paints a picture of a young woman’s perseverance and determination while struggling with the isolating challenges of autism at a time when it was still quite unknown. The HBO Original Movie chronicles Grandin’s early diagnosis; her turbulent growth and development during her school years; the enduring support she received from her mother, her aunt and her science teacher; and her emergence as a woman with an innate sensitivity and understanding of animal behavior. Undaunted by educational, social and professional roadblocks, Grandin turned her unique talent into a behavioral tool that revolutionized the cattle industry and laid the groundwork for her successful career as an author, lecturer and pioneering advocate for autism and autism spectrum disorder education.

TEMPLE GRANDIN stars Claire Danes, who won an Emmy®, a Golden Globe® and a Screen Actors Guild® Award for her outstanding performance in the title role. The film co-stars Emmy® winners Catherine O’Hara with Julia Ormond and David Strathairn. Like Danes, Ormond and Strathairn each won an Emmy® award for their supporting roles in TEMPLE GRANDIN. The HBO Original Movie premieres on September 2 at 10pm on HBO / HBO HD.

Directed by four-time Directors Guild Award winner Mick Jackson from a screenplay by Christopher Monger and Writers Guild Award winner William Merritt Johnson, TEMPLE GRANDIN is based upon the books Emergence, by Dr Temple Grandin and Margaret Scariano, and Thinking in Pictures by Dr Temple Grandin.

About HBO Asia
Singapore-based HBO Asia is able to bring the best of Hollywood to Asia first because of its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood studios - Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. In addition to the proprietary and award-winning HBO Original programs that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers, HBO Asia works with a large number of major independent production companies to secure exclusive rights to a host of quality movies. HBO Asia offers five subscription movie channels with uninterrupted programming – HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS and MAX (a refresh of CINEMAX) – as well as a subscription video-on-demand service, HBO ON DEMAND, HBO HD, the first regional movie channel to broadcast in high definition in Asia, and HBO HITS HD, which delivers Hollywood blockbuster hits 24-hours a day in 100% true high-definition, available in selected territories. HBO Asia is a joint venture of HBO (a Time Warner company) and Paramount. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

About The Autism Society of the Philippines
Autism Society Philippines (ASP) is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of persons with autism spectrum disorder. It is comprised of families, teachers, therapists, institutions and other individuals whose lives have been touched by autism. It envisions an environment that empowers persons with autism spectrum disorder to become, to the best of their potentials, self-reliant, productive and socially accepted members of the community. For this, ASP commits ourselves to the establishment of institutional mechanisms programs and services to support persons with autism and their families.

One of its goals is for the provincial areas, especially for the underprivileged and underdeveloped, to have access to intervention services as we ASP sets up a nationwide network of chapters in key cities in the country. ASP currently has 52 chapters, covering the northern and southern parts of the country, and continues to grow.

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Temple Grandin, HBO, HBO HD, HBO On Demand, HBO Signature, HBO Family, HBO Hits, HBO Hits HD, MAX, Cinemax and Home Box Office are service marks of Home Box Office, Inc. Used with permission.