When an issue is looked at with sincere meticulousness, no matter how localized, it attains a universality of tone. Consequently, the concern and the urgent need to secure accessibility for disabled people in New York's subway stations, becomes a call for more inclusive and accessible public spaces for anyone living with a disability in any part of the world. It is in this manner that the documentary becomes an engagement with a subject of extreme relevance and note. 

 The voices that are employed to bolster this conversation, New York State Assembly officials, Metropolitan Transportation Authority representatives, and of course, those who are at the forefront of the protests, demanding more accessible subway stations for the disabled, are lucid, comprehensive and powerful, ensuring that the narrative conveys its intentions in an unequivocal manner. A 2020-product, the film also marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990, serving as a disconcerting reminder of how far not only American society, but the entire global space, remains from being inclusive for those living with a disability. 

 To assert its intentions with the urgency required for the issue, the film further invokes the memory of twenty-one-year old Malaysia Goodson who lost her life in January 2019 as she carried a stroller with her one-year-old daughter down the stairs at a subway station in New York. In the process, it brings to life the pain, loss, grief left in the wake of the authorities' lackadaisical approach to the issue, and their inability to act, and instead spend crucial resources on beautifying stations that serves little practical purpose. As it draws the viewer's attention to the systemic discrimination against disabled people, causing great difficulty for them in finding a house, getting hired, or simply commuting from one part of the city to another, the film makes a strong case for the cause, ensuring that it does not simply present a concern, but encourages a thought pattern that might one day hopefully take the form of reformative action.

All Riders | Short Film of the Day

The opening of the film is set is an intimate, cozy space where two girls discuss makeup and evening plans. The eventual introduction to Eleanor and Alyssa also brings with it a sense of nervousness and trepidation that suffuses the atmosphere palpably. The evening develops to reveal the reason behind it all, thereafter presenting the viewer with its underpinnings and motivations. The film becomes a story of female bonding, sisterhood, along with a young girl's experience of finally confiding in her sister about her sexual orientation. While the outing may have begun on a note of unease, the narrative covers the journey to take it to a moment marked by an emotion that is on the other end of the spectrum. Through the process of portraying the anxiety of wanting to be liked, loved and accepted, all the intentions are laid bare before the viewer in a simple, direct manner. Achieved with a lean cast and crew, the endeavor is notable in its desire and sincerity to share the story, leaving the door open for more such product by the young team.

What Goes on Inside a Cocoon | Short Film Nominee

Mental health and issues related to anxiety in school students often either goes unnoticed or gets misinterpreted by parents of the children who struggle with them. The short film is an attempt to draw attention to the same concern through the story of Noah, a girl who experiences a blackout at school, and in the process, misses her final examination. The plot also engages with how a mother feels she has inadequate tools to deal with the struggles of her daughter, and therefore seeks out her other daughter's help for the same. It further represents the pressure Noah puts on herself, as well as the importance of allowing a person's creativity and individuality to allow them a space of comfort and ease. The film is well-intentioned, but would have benefited from a more balanced and nuanced conclusion.

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