What would you do if your community gave up on your child? The parents of a boy on the autism spectrum take matters into their own hands, forming a competitive swim team, recruiting teens on the spectrum and training them with high expectations and zero pity. Watch the extraordinary rise of the Jersey Hammerheads, capturing a moving quest for inclusion, independence, and a life that feels winning.
Lara is an award-winning producer/director/writer of documentaries. Her work has appeared on Netflix, PBS, NBC, MSNBC, AMC, VH-1 and The New York Times' website.
Lara produced and directed "Swim Team," a feature documentary chronicling the rise of a competitive swim team made up of diverse teenagers on the autism spectrum. For "Swim Team," Lara was named an IFP Documentary Completion Lab Fellow and was awarded funding from the Aetna Foundation, Easterseals, the Karma Foundation and New York Women in Film and Television among others. "Swim Team" has screened at over 50 international festivals, won over 10 awards, was released in US theaters in July, 2017 with its debut at New York's IFC Center and aired on PBS' acclaimed non-fiction showcase POV. "Swim Team" streamed on Netflix starting April 1, 2018.
