Showcasing films that capture differently abled

When it comes to differently-abled, often the attempt to sensitise masses is limited to talks and seminars.

This time, though, the effort was expanded to reach and appeal to the youth through cinema. The initiative was taken up by Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC) when it recently organised its Annual Film Festival on the theme of disability and titled it 'We Care.’

'We Care' in collaboration with an NGO Brotherhood, attempted to sensitise students and society at large about disability with the message “dignity and justice for all.”  The films conveyed that ‘physical disability is not a challenge and that the only disability is our attitude.’

It also promoted the inclusion of differently-abled people in the society and negated various misconceptions surrounding disability by highlighting the experiences of people going through it.

The inauguration witnessed the presence of distinguished personalities like Major General SK Razdan, the first wheelchair-bound General of the Indian Army; Sunit Tandon, DG, Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Director, UNIC India and Bhutan.

The festival began with the inauguration of a photography exhibition based on 'Disability', where around 50 photographs from around 20 media colleges were displayed. During the festival, award-winning films – both national and international were screened to highlight attitudinal and behavioural changes in society against the differently-abled. The films screened included Dove's Tale, A Drop of Sunshine, Mindscape, Shining stars, Taste of Berry, Where to go, Smile Pinki, Mindscape and Cutting the Pain.

The Israeli entry Cutting the Pain, which won the first prize at the festival, reveals the soul of a man who fights for his life against inner demons. Second prize winner, A Drop of Sunshine looks at alternative ways to recover from schizophrenia.

The third prize winner and national award winning movie, Mindscape, aesthetically showcases how sexuality is an integral part of every individual's personality even those who are physically challenged, while Dove’s Tale, a 3-minute film narrates the life of Mousumi, a girl afflicted with cerebral palsy. Taste of Berry explores life in a ‘therapeutic community’.

Siddharth Shukla, a student of Design at Apeejay Stya University adds, “I really liked the initiative taken for the differently-abled by showcasing films on the sensitive issue. As a student of film-making it motivates me to make and promote such movies.”
The festival witnessed students from other Mass Communication colleges and even schools of Dwarka.

It concluded with a ceremony where winners of the photography competition and participants of We Care film festival were awarded certificates for their work.