Our Eye Sight is our biggest blessing, say many. But it is alarming to note that one in every 15 children in Pakistan might be visually impaired, and many children are not getting the pair of glasses they need to see better.
He looked at himself in the mirror, his new glasses seemed strange. Everyone at school would notice them, would they laugh, would they make fun of him, could he ever function without them? How would he play sports? She looked at herself in the mirror from behind the new frames she’d just received. She’d have to wear them all day. Otherwise the headaches would return. But when she walked to school, she could see everything better. When she sat at her desk, she didn’t have to wince, or ask her neighbour what was written in the top left corner of the board.
He could play football, in fact, he could place his kick better. And Maths – it just became a breeze, because, she was copying the numbers correctly from the board.
Wearing glasses was second nature now, it was just like putting on your shoes everyday. You just wore them and poof! – the world just became so much easier to read!
Short Film Noor Tackles More Than Just Eye Sight!
A simple solution to a simple problem has become quite challenging as Noor zeroes in on the challenges encountered in a society that does not just look at eye care as a medical necessity. Where fair skin, body shaming and many more physical expectations are laid on women, a bespectacled young girl is never a choice most families welcome. Hence, the necessity to get a pair of glasses finds, perhaps, the path of most resistance.
Noor tackled the issue spot on: Wearing glasses makes one appear old, unattractive or is merely a tool that is not needed, especially when it’s the girl in the family who needs it.
The story of Noor has been sponsored by Sight Savers – an organization that is committed to delivering mobile eyecare. Not only does the team conduct school visits to administer eye sight tests and subsequently determine eye health and deliver prescription eye glasses to children free of cost, they also work with teachers and educators to assist students and provide them with the necessary eye care so that they perform better in school.
The Challenges
Research and interaction with school teachers has unearthed that many children have been deprived of glasses because their parents were unaware they needed them, they were often administered medication for headaches if they complained of one ( headaches can also be a symptom of poor eye sight). Many students were unaware that they needed glasses since they just assumed other classmates couldn’t read the board as well. Some children felt uncomfortable as they were made fun of if they wore glasses.
In many cultures, glasses are still seen as spoiling or taking away from the appearance of a young girl. Many parents or husbands are ignorant of their importance at helping protect eyesight from further or rapid deterioration, not just assist in seeing better. Also, the fact that the film was targeted, not only at parents but also men, husbands and mothers in law in particular, showed that the narrative is attempting to rope in and target the segment of population that resists this change the most.
Hence, Noor is not just asking us to take care of our eye sight, but also showing us the mirror with deep seated prejudices that need to be dusted off our minds, and now. And that a pair of glasses is, in fact, a simple accessory, yet a very critical one at making a difference in the daily lives of those who cannot function fully without it.
Short Films are able to deliver impactful messages in a fairly compact time slot. Be it the need to tell a story in effective ways – concise, sharp and nailing the subject, or be it the leisure to not resort to fillers or extended OSTs to fill the space, short films are fast becoming a genre that is to be reckoned with in the Pakistani OTT market, and fortunately, audiences are accepting it as a great medium.
Performances
Noor delivers some sharp performances from the entire cast. Tanisha Shameem as the young girl Noori who needs eye glasses gave an impactful performance – nothing missing there in the slightest! Both Omair Rana and Sarwat Gilani are seasoned players but still manage to urge a tear or two from a narrative that pulls you in, in a matter of minutes – Omair Rana as usual, switching from forbidding to conciliatory in swift scene shifts – there’s not much time in a short film and he knows that!
Mizna Waqas hands out a convincing performance as Noori’s mother, also afflicted with visual impairment. Noor carries a gripping, informative story that leaves you with a clear message – watch because, there is a simple solution to most of life’s eye problems, and your child deserves to get it.
The film has been directed by Umer Adil and hands out eye sight saving messages in a mere 17 minutes! The frames are clear, clean and every scene fits in like a jigsaw puzzle. It is relevant, serves to inform with clarity where needed and deliver subtle messages at other times. Casting is spot on and the tear jerking moments add substance to a narrative with perspective.
Noor, a short film by SeePrime tackles the topic of weak eye sight and how young people in Pakistan are vulnerable to neglect, or late diagnosis, hence, not having access to a pair of glasses – a simple solution to visual impairment that every child must have access to. The project won ‘Best Health Film’ award in the January online edition of the Cannes World Film Festival. ‘Noor,’ which tackles the stigma around weak eyesight, is scripted by Farah Usman and stars Sarwat Gilani, Omair Rana, Tanisha Shameem, Mizna Waqas, and Tasneem Ansari in pivotal roles.
You can read more about Sightsavers and their School Health Integrated Programme here.
Noor Wins Big At Cannes World
Watch the film here:
