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Hulu Set to Release Great Thunberg Documentary in 2020

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In the wake of being named TIME’s youngest-ever Person of the Year, autistic climate change activist Greta Thunberg will be the subject of an upcoming Hulu documentary with the working title “Greta.” According to Deadline, the film will premiere in 2020.

Thunberg, a Sweden native who is now 16 years old, started to make waves when she staged Friday school strikes to raise awareness about the climate crisis in 2018. She has since become an international symbol of the climate crisis movement, traveling around the world to stand beside other teenagers working to protect the planet.

The Hulu documentary, which is directed by Nathan Grossman, follows Thunberg’s climate efforts from her early school strikes in Sweden through her international campaign and advocacy efforts. Her efforts earned her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and she’s taken her message to major platforms such as the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York City.

While many praise Thunberg’s advocacy efforts, including Michelle Obama and Leonardo DiCaprio, she has also garnered a cadre of adult bullies online. These bullies attempt to undermine her message by making fun of her authentic autistic expressions, while others compared her autism to a mental illness. U.S. President Donald Trump is among those who frequently attack Thunberg, most recently editing his head onto her TIME magazine cover.

For other young people, however, Thunberg remains a rallying point for a better future. Thunberg is also a role model for other young people on the spectrum. Mighty contributor and mom Laura Epstein explained why Thunberg will resonate with her autistic son in the article, “Why Greta Thunberg Matters to Kids Like My Son on the Autism Spectrum“:

Thunberg is an amazing example for him, in part because of her age. She is 16, making her the same generation as my 7-year-old. She’s not a historic figure or an adult, she is a young person making a major impact with, not in spite of, being on the autism spectrum. … She has talked about the perks of neurodiversity and ‘thinking out of the box,’ especially when dealing with a crisis such as climate change.

Thunberg previously tweeted, ‘I have Asperger’s and that means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm. And — given the right circumstances — being different is a superpower.’ I can only hope my son is so direct and secure in his neurodiversity and that he too learns it is a superpower!

Header image via Greta Thunberg’s Facebook page

Originally published: December 16, 2019
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