OUR VIEW: Chiles’ Emmy for autism film is well deserved

Staff Editorial
Published: September 26, 2008

» SUMMARY: Perrin Chiles makes Culpeper proud as he brings home an “Outstanding Nonfiction Special ”Emmy for his movie “Autism: The Musical.”

James Gandolfini, this is what you get for mentioning Culpeper in not so positive tones. The famed Soprano’s star missed out on an Emmy in the “Outstanding Nonfiction Special” category — all because of a Culpeper guy.

Perrin Chiles, son of Dr. Morton Chiles, was still pinching himself earlier this week as he soaked in the fact that his movie, “Autism: The Musical,” brought home an Emmy after it appeared on HBO earlier this year.

We’ve never won an Emmy, so we can only imagine the elation Perrin is experiencing. He should be extremely proud of what he’s accomplished with a film that, due to a lack of widespread distribution,  probably only a few people in our area have seen.

According to Chiles, 32, the main goal of the movie was to put a human face to autism, a developmental disorder that affects one in every 150 children in America.
In our opinion, it’s mission accomplished.

Chiles’ film delves deeper into the disorder than any other mainstream program has. It shows that autistic children can be just as creative, if not more so, than non-autistic children.

Above all, the film raises awareness. It makes the public think about how they can become involved and help find a way to better treat autism.

For a small-town boy from Culpeper, it’s a big task to take on the bright lights of Hollywood and still come out with your head held high. But Perrin Chiles has done just that.

In fact, it’s a story that may just be fit for a script of its own, and it’s one with a happy ending.