Railfan is a movie about autistic kids who love subways in New York City. Our story follows  photographer Travis Huggett as he makes a special portrait series of these kids, gets to know their families and takes them to a pop-up gallery show at the New York Transit Museum! With this crowdfunding campaign -  you get to be part of it. Whether it’s getting the name of the Railfan in your life in our credits, early access to our online screening of the film; or an emotive and intimate artbook, you’ll be showing your support for autistic kids like these. 

What’s more, you’ll be helping bring something into the world; where it can reach the most families and do the most good by shaping the conversation about disability to one of more inclusion and empathy. 

Our documentary shows the curiosity and passion of Railfans for whom the New York City subway system opens up worlds of connection and joy. By supporting this film, you're helping bring audiences a story that celebrates difference as a source of strength, and reminds us of our shared humanity.  We believe now is the right time to tell the story of Railfan. 

It's a crucial time to start talking about autistic people and how their needs are met by our communities.  Conversations about neurodiversity have become more nuanced on one hand, and  the subject of misinformation on the other. 

We’re offering YOU: a chance to  join an amazing community; to celebrate this unique hobby or to show your support for the railfans in your life. 

Some of our rewards include: 

Exclusive sneak peaks of our film through an online early screening; gallery-quality photo books premiere tickets for New York City and Toronto; an exclusive art-print by Travis Huggett; an early release of our soundtrack. And for the most devoted Railfans: a chance to get your own NYC subway portrait session by Travis himself! (Note: Travis will cover your subway fare - but you’ll make your own way to New York!) 

Travis Huggett, a commercial photographer from New York City, had a steady sideline in what he calls “self-assigned art-projects”.  With the arrival of his son, he found himself the parent of a child with an unusual hobby: riding the subway simply for the joy of the ride. While out and about together at the New York Transit Museum, Travis took a photo that sparked an idea.

Travis asked other parents (met through his son’s school for autism and special needs) if they’d be interested in having their child’s portrait taken out in the wilds of the MTA. Word got around. Before Travis knew it, the story was picked up by the New York Times. 

Meanwhile, Ian Daffern, a filmmaker in Toronto was making documentaries about artists using their art to make a difference in the world outside their studios. He was also a parent to a young railfan.  Ian recognized something special in Travis’ photos: love made visible. In 2021 he reached out to Travis to see if he was interested in collaborating on a film. 

Five years, and hundreds of subway stops later, we are happy to share that our film, Railfan is almost complete, and ready to pull into a station near you.

Making Railfan was truly a labour of love, with our director and cinematographer all volunteering their services. We’ve found some great sponsors such as the Boldyn Networks in the United States and the National Film Board in Canada who have helped cover our editing costs. But there’s one more stage to go - and that’s to bring the film to the world. 

Our film is almost ready to go; we’re just putting the final touches on it this summer. Your contributions will help us all the costs that remain when bringing a film to market. These include:  

 

These materials will help us reach the many families for whom autism is part of their daily life. People who want stories like their own reflected on the screen. It will also bring our film to autism organizations, institutions or educators who can make Railfan's message of inclusion and empathy part of their programming. 

Making a movie is like raising a child — it takes a village! Part of the reason we are crowdfunding is to reach that village. We want to connect with all the families who want to see their experiences meaningfully reflected on screen. We also want to reach people who work in public transit (from transit agencies, historical societies, railroad companies); or autism organizations (educators, social groups, conferences). These are folks who know how much trains and transit means to autistic kids and their families. 

By crowdfunding, we’re giving you a chance to lend your support to a film that we hope will entertain and provide a comforting sense of familiarity for these families.  By reaching out to the transit and autism communities through our campaign - we can discover options we haven’t even considered. Maybe there’s an organization near you that you think could host a screening in 2027?  Let us know! We’ll make it happen! 

 

Legendary indie composer Disasterpeace (Marcel the Shell, It Follows, and the game Mini Metro!) has composed a hypnotic, beautiful, strange and heartbreaking suite of songs to accompany our film.  One of our favourite tiers is an exclusive download of the Railfan OST; and top tiers will get a live listening party with the composer himself! 

Supporting our campaign doesn't just help us get our film completed - it gives us the resources to find those resilient and courageous kids with autism, their families and friends - wherever they happen to be! 

Share your email and you'll be the FIRST to know when our campaign launches. Join a community of railfans and those who love them and share their passion for the magic of mass transit in our cities. You'll be part of a community that wants to encourage ongoing dialogue about autism, disability, inclusion, and what it means to be a parent.

What’s more, as early supporters you get a cool way to be part of our community as we build it on social media. You’ll get some cool swag to show your support while out on railfan adventures of your own. And  maybe you’ll own a cool piece of Railfan art you can cherish forever.  And isn't that something you want to be part of? 

We are a group of Toronto and New York City filmmakers who have come together to make this film because they believe in positive parenting and want to mak a difference in their communities. 

We are a team of filmmakers from Toronto and NYC. Our team includes parents of railfans, parents of autistic kids, and in some cases, both!  We are all invested in creating a story that helps. 

The film is inspired by the photography of Travis Huggett, who started making a portrait series of kids who loved trains after watching his autistic son and nephew. The team includes Ian Daffern (Director); Joe Tomcho (Director of Photography); Jeremy McCracken (Editor); Disasterpeace (Composer); Colin Geddes (Producer); Katarina Gligorijevic (Producer) aka ULTRA8.

NOPE. We know not ALL railfans are Autistic - but neither do we think someone having autism should be considered such a bad thing either. A lot of autistic kids don't like trains - that's fine too! As they say if you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person. 

But THESE kids love trains - and we hope their  wonderful passion, that our Director of Photography Joe Tomcho has captured so well - will be able to open many wider conversations about how we can make things better for all of us.  

All while watching some of the most beautiful subway cinematography you've ever seen! 

With money raised from our sponsors and grants, we have made it through the artistic and technical challenges that came from making a documentary. It is practically finished.

The final challenge we face is raising the money to get the film out into the world. If we don’t successfully complete this fundraising campaign, we’ll STILL get it out there; but it will take LONGER. 

Bringing a film to different cities and festivals is expensive. With your help we can keep this film on track for our planned wide release date of April 2027.  

We'll be shipping from our Railfan HQ in Manhattan to the US customers, as well as fulfilling some orders from Canada. Our rough timeline is to release all the rewards after our festival release in Fall of 2026 and before our broadcast date of April 2027.   

NOTE! All Reward Pricing is BEFORE shipping fees. Shipping will be calculated after purchases and before we send any physical rewards.