‘Ollie’ is deliberately constructed to ensure we don't see the titular character on screen; yet, his presence never stops molding the film. Randy has just dropped his differently-abled son at a facility, leaving himself alone in the house for the first time in three years. As emotions begin to overpower him, and he moves from one mundane, empty task to another, we begin to get more glimpses into this broken family. 
A phone call from an unhappy family member is followed by an unannounced visit by Randy’s estranged wife, Pat. The narrative confines itself only to the house, further marked by Randy’s interrupted efforts to repair a broken window. The desire to fix something, however, might not always translate into the result one seeks. 
The same thought finds an echo in the ensuing argument between Randy and Pat, a conversation that encapsulates guilt, grief, resentment, bitterness, and all of the heart-shattering sadness that can sometimes define life. The performances, screenplay, and narratorial progression all ensure that the one distilled moment the viewer is presented with to portray this life is explored with authenticity and meaning.

Ollie  | Short Film of the Month

The documentary introduces the viewer to the Hope Center for the Arts in California, USA. Established in 1979, the center is unique because of the manner in which it provides an art-based community for adults with intellectual disabilities. The narrative the film thus presents to the viewer is heartfelt and poignant, crisp in its brevity, and yet, lucid and comprehensive. 

Along with raising awareness about the center itself, and all the work that it has been doing, it further gives a glimpse into an entire community, their dreams and hope, but more than that, their talent and skill. It takes the form of a relevant story about a significant section of the population, which has been marginalized for a very long time with a single, dismissive stroke. 

All of this is painted for the viewer, without resorting to overt sentimentalism or maudlin storytelling in any form. It is indeed this characteristic which allows the film the necessary sensitivity and nuance to make its message impactful and empowering.

A Crack in the Universe | Short Film of the Day

Our young protagonist, Benji is a gifted musician. His talent is further coupled with a love for his art, which ensures that even in the face of bullying and jeering by some of his more aggressive peers, he is always wholeheartedly present for his music. The school’s last concert of the year is coming up, a big night for all the young musicians, when the most terrible tragedy befalls Benji. 

The visual grammar of the film, the transitions, and hand-held shots, present a sophisticated endeavor in making it all come to life. When coupled with the manner sound is employed to bring juxtaposition and contrast, the message is pronounced seamlessly. As the title of the film gets realized in Benji’s unfolding nightmarish reality, reminding the viewer of a musical genius who had suffered the same fate, he finds himself distanced manifold from the one thing he truly loved. 
In his anger and frustration, however, could the same thing he feels painfully severed from truly be his savior? The film not only presents this question but also sees its answer through right till the very end.

Making Beethoven Proud | Short Film Nominee

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 short narrative has the noble intention of spreading awareness about the lives of those who live with disability. It presents to us the many hardships and obstacles that plague them. The same is attempted by taking us into a busy morning in the life of Mrs. Gupta, a school principal who finds herself moving from one task to another at breakneck speed. 

Consequently, she doesn’t have the time for things which are not on her agenda for the day. However, this happens to be a specifically demanding day as she finds herself met with two different people, both of whom live with a disability. While one of them has arrived for a possible job position, the other wants to enroll as a student. It is in this manner that the story wants to hold a mirror to society’s inherent ableism. 

As for Mrs Gupta, who is dismissive of both of these two characters, a shocking accident in her own life makes her change her ways drastically. By showing all of this, Ek Nayee Soch, Ek Naya Nazaria shares its core message with you.

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