2022 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Influencers, in the UAE across age groups and nationalities, attend a film screening in cinemas. But their entertainment experience needs to wait, as they are constricted in their cinema seats and watch a shot of a ceiling lights. For over 5 minutes, nothing changes visually. The clock ticks unsettlingly, the tube light’s drone buzzes, and sounds of the environment fill the seconds - until a child walks in, revealing this was how it felt to be paralyzed every day of the year, and there was hope in preventing and managing paralysis with Dubai Science Park. With a haunting call-to-action from a young girl (cast from 1013 profiles) who typifies the constrictive nature of the film's premise, and unnerving sound design that helps intensify the situation, the 365-second film gives an insight into the horror of paralysis - by offering a glimpse through the eyes of someone who is paralyzed, 365-days-a-year.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

As human beings, our empathy influences how we classify the importance of things we should focus on. It’s only when we feel what others are going through that we really become aware of their need and their anxieties. And only then do we care. So, to get people aware and talking about paralysis, we wanted to target people who are used to a world that’s moving fast and are restless. We wanted them to feel constricted and restricted by this film to get the message and point across effectively. Because when someone is paralysed, their life is stuck much like this film is stuck on one frame. What they see. What they hear. What they go through in their day. It’s all stuck in time. We wanted to capture that and make this an (initially) unnerving and frustrating, and then, an empathic experience for people. Thus, making paralysis talked about.