Disability is not inability. It is in fact a unique ability. Thus, acknowledging this uniqueness, students, faculty members, and teachers gathered to celebrate the much awaited two-day International We Care Film Festival – Changing Attitudes On Disability Issues, held in Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC), Dwarka in Delhi.
Like every year, this year was no different as the campus was buzzing with enthusiasm with students participating in various competitions including photography and painting. Organised in collaboration with Brotherhood, an internationally recognised NGO, UNESCO, and UN Information Centre, this festival is celebrated every year to create awareness about disability issues through the medium of films. The endeavour is to remove the myths, misconceptions, prejudices and stereotypes about disabled people among society while acknowledging their special abilities
The celebration commenced on a very positive note by sharing an example of Arunima Sinha, India’s first female amputee and world’s second female amputee to scale Mount Everest, who has fostered the powerful feeling of strength and determination.
The chief guest for the 15th edition of the International We Care Film Festival was Maharaj Krishen Raina, popularly known as M. K. Raina, is an Indian theatre actor and director. Other dignitaries present during the inaugural ceremony were Prof Sajal Mukherjee, Director, AIMC, Dr Etinder Pal, Deputy Director, Apeejay School of Management (ASM),
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Raina expressed that it’s his privilege to come to this special festival and shared a very heart-touching story from his childhood. He also mentioned, “Today, science has helped us to overcome many challenges, and there’s a huge industry innovating products to support and make it easy for the specially-abled so that they live their lives just like every other kid or human being.”
He also questioned people from the society who sometimes fail to showcase their sensitivity towards the specially-abled who want to connect with others. “Is something wrong with education that we are not compassionate about the person who’s next to us,” he questioned.
Furthermore, Prof Sajal Mukherjee addressed the guests by sharing, “This festival has been created to sensitise people towards specially-abled people. Every year, we have people showcasing their talent, and they are just fantastic. This festival has been running for 15 years now and I am very happy to see the increasing participation each year.”
During the event, children from Ashish Foundation for the differently abled charitable trust, a non-profit organisation located in Dwarka, graced the occasion with their presence. The members of the Foundation performed a special play based on autism. Another awe-struck moment was an astounding performance by a rising star with neurodiversity Devansh Chandra – a singer with autism spectrum disorder who has won 20 national awards.
As part of the festival, many award-winning Indian and international films like Vision Eye, Butterfly Circus, Fish & I, Speechless, to name a few, were screened.
The key coordinators of this event were PG Diploma students of Corporate Communication and Event Management of AIMC, who organised the two-day festival under the able guidance of Associate Professor Naveen Gautam and Assistant Professors Prof. Mudita Raj, Prof. Ankit Kumar Malyan as well as Prof. Sukriti Arora.
Sharing her thoughts, Prof Mudita Raj expressed, “The International We Care Film Festival, now in its 15th year, is a student-led initiative that aims to make a difference. Through film, awareness, and training, we’re fostering a new generation of empathetic professionals who can address disability challenges.”
The two-day festival also showcased a photography and painting exhibition on the same theme. For the photography category, winners from AIMC included Unnati, Stuti, as well as Poorva & Dhruv, who won the first, second and third prizes consecutively. Additionally, Tanishq Nanda and Harshita Banga from Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Institute of Computer Applications and Management (BVICAM) won the consolation prize.
Under the painting category, Deeksha and Ananya from AIMC won first and second positions. Moreover, Aastha from Kalindi College, Dhreeti Saha from Apeejay Institute of Design and Navya from Apeejay Institute of Design won the top three positions.
Alongside, local food vendors added to the festive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience for attendees. The two-day event concluded with a prize distribution ceremony.