BUDDING Greenock film-maker Laura Cesa has made a film about autism based on her own personal experiences.

Laura, who is in her second year of studying HND Computer Arts and Design, presented a film she made to raise awareness of autism to Glasgow art house, Cryptic.

The 19-year-old, who hopes to work as a film-maker, was inspired to create a video illustrating the difficulties faced by those with autism after growing increasingly frustrated about the lack of understanding many people have about the condition.

The former St Columba’s High School pupil, who is studying at City of Glasgow College, said: “My older sister, Maria, is autistic so I am very aware of the difficulties people with the condition face.

“Different sounds can act as triggers, so I wanted to include lots of case studies showing the ways in which the condition can affect people.

“The idea was to help viewers understand what autistic people feel like when they are in a loud or busy environment.” Laura’s video was shown at Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts.

She was featured in the Tele last year when her artwork was used during the Royal Military Tattoo in Edinburgh.

Laura added: “Being able to show my work to Cryptic was a great experience, as I have a lot of respect for their work.

“They gave me some advice as to how I could improve the piece, and I’m definitely going to spend more time working on the project. I was really pleased that they understood and liked the concept.” Caroline Thompson, head of planning at Cryptic, was impressed with Laura’s work. She said: “We wanted to collaborate with the students as it gives them the chance to find out what working to a real, professional brief is like.”