Three win FOA short film festival awards
Focus on Ability (FOA), an organisation that promotes achievements of persons with disability on Sunday held its third short film festival in Blantyre.
The festival also saw three people awarded for their feats in production and acting in the films depicting achievements, contributions and efforts by persons with various forms of disabilities.
Odala Banda produced and acted in a film One Leg In The Lake, went away with $500 (K380 000) as best producer and $250 (K170 000) as best actor.
The other two, Chisomo Dzonzi and Happiness Mussa went away with $500 (K380 000) and $250 (K170 000) each as co-winners in the best producer and best actor categories respectively.
FOA executive director MacDonald Nyirenda said he was delighted to note that people with disability have taken it upon themselves to show the world that they are capable of achieving great things in life.
He said: “The films displayed amazing and inspiring skills, talents and achievements of people with disability. It is our sincere hope that people whether with disability or not have been inspired. “
We urge parents with children with disability and organisations working with people with disability to focus on the abilities of such people and support them so that they become independent and contribute towards the social-economic development of the country other than depending on begging for survival.”
FOA creative director Ryan Goodwin said he was impressed with how such festivals have helped to change for the better lives of persons with disability.
Twelve films from Malawi entered the competition sponsored by Nova Employment of Australia.
Dzonzi, one of the winners, thanked FOA for organising the event which he said has helped him to work hard as a film producer.
He advised parents with children with disabilities to avoid putting limitations on the children but instead focus on the positive side and support them.
This year’s festival had 245 entries, including 104 school entries and 61 international films. 12 made it to the finals.
Following successful screenings in Australia, New Zealand, United States, Zimbabwe and Malawi, the competition received entries from 26 countries.
Last year’s finalist, Chisomo Livason of the short film The Spectacle Hand went away with $1 000 (K740 000).
