Dubai: People with special needs are often misunderstood by society and viewed as a burden that cannot be integrated in the real world. The ‘We Care’ Film Festival aims to use movies to change the way people look at those with disabilities.
Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs announced the winners of the ‘We Care’ Film Festival 2013 on Thursday in the presence of Mariam Mohammad Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs.
“The aim of this event is to shed light on disabled people and show the positive side, which is their ability to incorporate their issues in society,” said Khalid Al Halyan, Chairman of Al Noor Training Centre.
The winner in the 30-minute movie category was ‘Little Feet’, which told the story of a 26-year-old man named Mohammad Farooq, whose body stopped growing at the age of 12.
“It is a story about success and about how people can face obstacles in life. Mohammad who is nicknamed ‘Farfoor’ looks like a child, but has a job. He drives a car and manages to face the challenges of life in a humorous way. The message of the film is that no matter how small your feet are, you can still manage to leave large traces behind you in life,” said Kurt Barreto and Adam Smadi, who made the movie.
The winner in the five-minute category was Terminal made by e mechanical engineering students Al Ameel Abdul Azeez and Kamalesh Keserker, who were happy that their movie won first prize given that they have no movie-making experience.
“The movie tackles the issue of how people with special needs are shunned by society. We were inspired by a Facebook picture of a girl who has cancer. We wrote a script about a boy who lived a normal life and was in love with a girl till he was diagnosed with cancer. The girl and society then began avoiding him,” Abdul Azeez and Keserker said.
Noor Nazzal is a trainee at Gulf News.
