Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted is based on a true story about the struggle of a mother who fights to get a life-saving heart operation for a child with Down Syndrome who lives in a convalescent home.

Jonathan is a young, lovable boy with as much right to life as any, but he’s a Down syndrome child with a tragic heart disorder. Jonathan’s parents placed him in a home for physically and mentally handicapped children at a very early age and then refused to grant permission for him to have the operation that would set aside his life-threatening defect.

When a volunteer worker at the home meets Jonathan, she soon discovers that he has real learning capabilities and she falls for his magical charm. But her determination to give a handicapped child the life he deserves soon brings her into conflict with the boy’s parents and her own family.

This project won a Christopher Award for artistic excellence and was honored as a finalist in the 1993 Humanitas Awards.

Stars: Alley Mills, JoBeth Williams, Chris Burke, Christopher Demetral and Mason Adams

Also featuring Brandon Bauer as Jonathan ages 11-13 and K. C. Clarizio as Jonathan age 6.

Director: George Kaczender

Before George Kaczender left Hungary he worked as an Assistant Director at the Pannonina Film Studios in Budapest.

He immigrated to Montreal, Canada to work at the National Film Board where he wrote and directed award winning documentaries and short dramatic features.

Also at the NFB, he wrote and directed the award winning feature film, Don’t Let the Angels Fall, starring Arthur Hill, that became the first Canadian feature film invited to the main competition at the Cannes International Film Festival. After leaving the NFB, he worked in London with the distinguished producer, Oscar Lewenstein. The same year he became one of the founding partners of International Cinemedia Center in Montreal.

At his company he directed numerous award-winning educational films for Learning Corporation of America. After directing four theatrical feature films in Canada and one in France, he moved to Hollywood.

Chris Burke
2006 Recipient of the Sprout Film Festival Maverick Award
for his accomplishments and commitment
to making the invisible visible.

The Sprout Film Festival is honoring Chris Burke for his pioneering work in television and film. His continued contribution to improving the image of people with disabilities in the media is both admirable and immeasurable. As an actor he embodies more than the characters he portrays, he also serves as an inspiration for a population that still struggles to be seen and heard.

"Life Goes On" was created after Burke landed the role of a boy with Down syndrome on the ABC-TV movie "Desperate". His work so impressed network executives that the film's producer was asked to write a show with Burke in mind. The critically acclaimed drama series "Life Goes On", which earned Chris a Golden Globe nomination, aired on ABC from 1989-1993 and more recently on The Family Channel.

Burke's success on the series led Bantam Doubleday Dell to publish his autobiography, A Special Kind of Hero, in 1992. He has filmed a PSA with former President Bush, marched in President Clinton's inaugural parade with the Special Olympics, received numerous awards including a Youth In Film award and a Christopher award, and had a New York City public school named in his honor. In addition, he continues to have a fresh television presence with guest-starring roles on shows like "Jonathan, The Boy Nobody Wanted", "The Commish" and the ABC mini-series "Heaven and Hell".

Chris also serves as spokesperson for the McDonald's McJobs program, the National Down Syndrome Congress, and the National Down Syndrome Society which, using him as an example, proclaims: "Having Down syndrome doesn't mean you can't reach the stars...or sometimes even become one."