Allison Norlian
Allison Norlian is a three-time Emmy–nominated journalist, filmmaker, writer, and disability advocate whose latest documentary, Meandering Scars, had its theatrical debut in early 2026 and has been picked up for distribution.
She is the co-founder of BirdMine, a production company dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices — particularly within the disability and Jewish community — through both narrative and documentary storytelling. At BirdMine, Allison writes, directs, and produces films that challenge perceptions, interrogate systems, and invite audiences to engage with stories of resilience, identity, and belonging.
Allison co-wrote and co-directed the award-winning short film Thirteen, a deeply personal narrative inspired by her mother and profoundly disabled sister. The film explores inclusion, ritual, and the fight for dignity within Jewish spaces — themes that reflect Allison’s growing commitment to telling nuanced Jewish stories grounded in lived experience. Thirteen has screened internationally, including at the Austin Film Festival, the Austin Jewish Film Festival, the California Women’s Film Festival, and the Haifa Cinematheque in Israel, and is now distributed educationally through New Day Films.
Before transitioning into filmmaking, Allison built a career in journalism, reporting for television newsrooms across the country and writing for outlets such as ForbesWomen, HealthyWomen, and Business Insider. Her reporting — often centered on disability rights, and mental health,— earned her a Catalyst for Change Award from The Arc of Virginia and multiple Emmy nominations, including one for an investigative series exposing abuse at an assisted living facility.
Driven by her lived experience as the sister of a profoundly disabled woman, Allison has dedicated her career to ensuring people with disabilities are not just included, but portrayed with dignity, authenticity, and emotional truth. This same commitment informs her desire to tell Jewish stories that grapple with identity, community, ancestral responsibility, and the complexities of belonging.
Whether behind the camera or on the page, Allison’s work is defined by empathy, rigor, and a belief in storytelling as a catalyst for change. Off set, she can be found coaching athletes with disabilities and creating content at ZOOZ Fitness — or curled up at home with her husband and their cat.
