Monica & David

Monica amp David is a 2009 documentary by Alexandra Codina. The film focuses on the daily lives of Monica and David, a young married couple with Down syndrome. The film premiered on November 22, 2009 at IDFA and has won Best Documentary Feature at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. Monica amp David later had a television premiere on HBO on October 14, 2010.

Codina, who is Monicas first cousin, was inspired to create the documentary after seeing varied responses to the announcement of David and Monicas wedding from people with and without Downs syndrome. Some viewed the marriage as a cute gesture between kids and as Codina saw the ceremony as something very powerful, very serious and very adult, she hoped that documenting the pair would enable people to see this perspective as well. In order to record footage Codina borrowed a digital video camera and filmed the couple and their family in the days leading up to the wedding as well as the ceremony itself. Codina recordedhours of wedding related footage in addition to footage that she recorded afterwards between 2007 and 2009. After filming was complete Codina left her job as programmer for the Miami International Film Festival to focus on the production of the documentary. She pitched a nineminute development trailer to HBO, who decided to support the endeavor.Critical reception for Monica amp David has been positive, and Boston.com praised Codina for the intimacy they felt with Monica, David, and their family. Variety also enjoyed the film, and commented Neither overly sentimental nor insistently uplifting, Monica amp David, Alexandra Codinas confidently directed, expertly edited docu about the marriage of two people with Down syndrome, proves unexpectedly engrossing. ........

Source: Wikipedia