You Have No Idea
Directed by Alexander Jeffery
Trailer
Fri Apr 12, 2024 – 5:00 pm | Downtown Beloit Association
Sat Apr 13, 2024 – 2:30 pm | Visit Beloit
Sat Apr 13, 2024 – 2:30 pm | Visit Beloit
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You Have No Idea
Directed by Alexander Jeffery
Documentary Feature
United States | 86 min | 2022
When Beth’s son Evan James was diagnosed with Autism in the early 90s, treatment options were limited. Doctors offered no practical advice for daily living and advised Beth to limit his social interactions. Rejecting these notions, Beth sets out to provide her son with a life filled with purpose and friendship. This heartfelt film is a sweet testament to the power of love and community by following a determined mom advocating for her son.
Director Statement
I’ve known Beth and Evan for years, I attended Beth and Paul’s wedding in 2008, and Evan’s father, Dennis James, was an inspiration to me on the stage as a high school student. However, like many in the community, I had no idea about the trials that Beth and Evan overcame and the extent to which their family and community gathered around them.
As I started to learn the full story, I was incredibly moved by Beth’s perseverance and the amount of positive change that she and Evan spearheaded in the community of El Dorado, Arkansas. Although autism is a spectrum and this film only focuses on one person’s story, we feel like there are universal truths and themes in the film that will touch everyone who watches it.
News & Reviews
AWARDS
Winner of the People’s Choice Award
Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), 2021
The Best Feature Documentary Award
Indy Film Fest, 2022
The Cercle d’or for Best Feature Documentary Award
Sherbrooke World Film Festival, 2022
The Grand Prix Documentary Award
Rising Sun International Film Festival, 2022
The Silver Award for Best Feature Documentary
Tokyo Film Awards, 2022
The Dr. Sydney K. Shapiro Humanitarian Award
Phoenix Film Festival, 2022
The Best Editing of a Documentary Award
Madrid International Film Festival, 2022
The Excellence in Editing Award
Docs Without Borders Film Festival, 2022
The Best Editing Award
Brussels World Film Festival, 2022
REVIEWS
“Truly a rare moment in Cinema… This film is a marvel”
Mélikah Abdelmoumen & Marc Béland, CBC Radio Canada
“An Exquisite Gem. Tenderness, wonder, & dignity…
a beautiful film about beautiful people”
Richard Propes, The Independent Critic
“Anyone who watches Dear Audrey will undoubtedly conclude
that Hayes is a masterful filmmaker”
Charlie Smith, The Georgia Straight
“Touching… luminous… truly magnificent”
Caroline Levesque, CBC Radio Canada
“Dear Audrey, a riveting documentary…
that stands as a powerful paean to passion and perseverance”
Evelyn C White, The Halifax Examiner
“…so many amazing lessons, stories, emotions with pain
and celebration intertwined”
Darren Wiesner, Hollywood North Magazine
“It’s impossible to watch this documentary, (a People’s Choice Award winner), without being overwhelmed by its sweetness and generosity”
Silvia Galipeau, La Press
“…an at once ethereal reflection on the enduring power of love,
and unblinking revelation of life’s steel-cold realities”
Chris Cook, Gorilla Radio
“The central force of Dear Audrey is the eternal, almost implacable force of love that binds people together through the most difficult times”
Dorothy Woodend, The Tyee
“Dear Audrey celebrates the very best the human heart has to offer, with such compassion, artistry and grace”
Terre Nash, Oscar-winning director
“A Stunning Love Story You Won’t Soon Forget!”
Indy Film Fest
“This love story will bring you joy, hope, tears and humility…”
Dr. Jen Hammersmark, Mind Your Madness
“…a beautiful homage to Audrey, to the couple’s
love and their family”
Nantali Indongo, CBC Radio
“Beautiful, touching … ‘Dear Audrey’ is a testament to
what Audrey was and what she remains forever”
Rob Wilson, The Bobr Times
“Poignant and could not be more authentic”
Amandine de Chanteloup, Le Collectif
Alexander Jeffery
Director
Alexander Jeffery hails from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was raised in El Dorado, Arkansas and is now based in Shreveport, Louisiana where he co-owns the production company Bespoke Works LLC with his friend and longtime collaborator, Paul Petersen. After receiving a double major in Theatre Performance and Film & New Media from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2011, Alexander moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams of acting and filmmaking. Quickly realizing Los Angeles wasn’t the right fit for him, Alexander moved back to the south to make low-budget, independent films with his friends.
His first feature film, A Chance Encounter, was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films in October of 2022, both theatrically and on-demand, after winning the audience choice award at Heartland Film Festival in 2020. In 2015, his short film The Bespoke Tailoring of Mister Bellamy won the $50,000 Grand Prize at the Louisiana Film Prize. MTV called it “an acutely relevant, achingly human film.” Alexander’s latest feature, Days of Daisy, was recently picked up for distribution by Good Deed Entertainment, and his first feature-length documentary, You Have No Idea, won the Audience Choice award for Best Southern Feature at the Oscar-qualifying Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in 2022.
Coming from a long line of educators, Alexander loves mentoring film and acting students of all ages and experience. He also strives to be a life-long student of the world and an avid traveler like his grandfather who had a profound impact on him.
Film Information
Director: Alexander Jeffery
Country: United States
Year: 2022
Language: English
Runtime: 86 min
Rated: G
Credits
Producer: Alexander Jeffery, Paul Petersen, Beth James Burns, William Paul Burns
Editor: Alexander Jeffery, Joseph Colby Doler
Cinematography: Alexander Jeffery
Key Cast: Beth James Burns, Evan James
Connect With This Film
Evan James
Beth James Burns
