RAILFAN
Railfan is an exploration of autistic children’s fascination with trains. Its story follows Travis Huggett, a fine-art photographer who lives in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Every weekend he gets up with his 8 year old son Orson and goes “railfanning” – aka- riding the subway system for the joy of trains. After his son began attending a school for special needs in Brooklyn, Travis met many other boys who shared this obsession. Travis decided to explore this phenomenon through his artform. He began by asking the other parents in his class if he could travel with them on their children’s favourite subway routes and take their portrait. Railfan – the Film – follows Travis on these portrait sessions throughout the stations and platforms of the MTA. It introduces us to children with autism and the parents who love them. It is a portrait of young people for whom regular life can sometimes be a struggle – who have found the happiest place they can be.
Documentary Short
Co-produced by Idfactory and Travis Huggett
Cinematography by Joe Tomcho
