Railfan is an intimate and heartfelt documentary feature that follows a photographer as he makes a portrait series of autistic kids who love subways in New York City. Our crowdfunding campaign is launching this summer, and you can sign up here! We're a team of filmmakers from New York and Toronto who have come together to tell this story because we believe it will create more empathy in the world, one subway car at a time…
And we need YOUR help to do it.
(Stills credit: Joe Tomcho, 2026)
We wrapped filming in August 2025. Along the way we met a cast of sweet, curious kids; made a pop-up gallery for their families at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn and explored the many aspects of their phenomenal interest in transit. And we're almost ready to go.
There's NO doubt whether we're going to finish -- the film is complete! What we need is the funding to help us cover expenses like:
* Film Festival Submission Fees
* Editing an Amazing Trailer
* Hiring a Persuasive Publicist
* Building an Official Website
* Poster and Postcard Design and Printing
& Travel Costs to bring Railfan to a city near YOU!
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.
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.
And isn't that something you want to be part of?
Railfan was inspired by the photography of Travis Huggett. To find out more: read this New York Times article about the original Railfan portrait series!
Latest from the Creator
Idfactory Films
16 days ago
Railfan Letters Vol 1.
Thank youfor joining team Railfan! Many of you have come from postings we shared online, we are grateful that you’re supporting our little engine FILM that could. We can’t wait to share Railfan with you, both the documentary along with pop-up galleries of Travis’ portrait series.
You’re probably here because you’ve got someone in your life with autism. I hope when you see our film, it gives that real sense that you’re not alone. We open a window into the lives of 6 different families who live with autism. We’ve chosen moments that are funny (these kids are hilarious); touching; and familiar; and that speak to the challenges and rewards of parenting– no matter what our families look like.
We want to turn our screenings into engaging events that let us talk about these kids; to open some dialogues wherever we can about how to make lives better for folks with ASD (with a little bit of public transit infrastructure critiques along the way!) You being here, just reading this, and sharing awareness of our project is so essential, so again, our sincere thanks. I hope in return we’re able to give you something that makes you feel seen.
NEWS:
FILM UPDATE: Railfan is ‘picture-locked’ and is now getting a professional sound treatment courtesy of a post-production grant we received from the National Film Board of Canada’s Filmmaker Assistance Program. Hopefully our subway sounds will pass the test of discerning listeners!
CROWDFUNDING: Our campaign launch date is now September 15th, 2026! Add this to your calendar! Especially if you’re in Toronto or NYC where you’ll be able to participate in one of our launch parties (details to come)… And please please spread the word about us wherever you can. If you're part of a local support group, or have some friends who you think would love an heartfelt story about kids + trains - let people know!
CROWDFUNDING: Our campaign launch date is now September 15th, 2026! Add this to your calendar! Especially if you’re in Toronto or NYC where you’ll be able to participate in one of our launch parties (details to come)… And please please spread the word about us wherever you can. If you're part of a local support group, or have some friends who you think would love an heartfelt story about kids + trains - let people know!
SIGN UP: And if you haven’t already done so - now’s the time to SIGN UP on the prelaunch page - by doing so you’ll automatically get the update on the campaign start. Maybe you’ll be the first to score one of the limited Portrait sessions by Travis Hugget of the Railfan in your life / and/ or the person of your choice in Manhattan! Or get hold of one of our limited special ‘Diamond Q’ editions of Railfan on DVD/Blu-ray (with a special Railfan-centric commentary track!)
CALL FOR ART! We loved seeing the art made by the kids in Railfan. Hand drawn maps; trains scrawled on wipeboards (hot tip for kids going through too much paper!) or even customized subway toys all with the correct route information. Talk about a window into someone's world... So please SEND US art by the Railfan kids in YOUR life, and (with your permission) we’ll signal boost to all our followers! Send art to: [email protected]
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Hi, I’m Ian Daffern, and I wrote this newsletter. I’m the director of Railfan. I'm from Toronto, and I've got two kids: a 10 year girl who loves tiny dogs and Labubus, and a son, who got me interested in trains. No he’s not on the spectrum (that we know of); but that didn’t stop him from drawing a billion transit maps, or taking us to nearly every train station in the TTC. I’m really grateful for Travis opening his world up to me. And I hope I’ve done it justice in how we’ve told the stories of these amazing kids and their families. Peace & Love - Ian
Inspired by the artwork of Travis Huggett
Produced By:
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