Colombia. "I love challenges and I barely heard that there was a Film Festival made with cell phones and with an inclusive category I said wow! this is a challenge that I am interested in taking on," says Jefferson Ramírez, a young man with total blindness and Director of "Entre Ojos".
With the collaboration of the Inclusion Area of the Rehabilitation Center for Blind Adults-CRAC, he was measured to the task of bringing together a committed group of people with visual disabilities willing to bet on the elaboration of a short film through their cell phones.
This multidisciplinary team formed in addition to Jefferson by Wilson Tibocha, (professional in Film and Television with low vision) who was in charge of camera management and editing; Esley Ospina (student and blind actress) who plays Valeria the protagonist of the short; María Antonia Trochez (blind student of public accounting) who assumed the role of executive producer; David Salas (Business Administrator with low vision) who served as General Producer and Mauricio León (Occupational Therapist of the Inclusion Area of the CRAC), the only sighted person on the team and who plays the role of blind in the short; brought together different talents and professions to meet the challenge of developing in less than 2 months a high quality audiovisual product, which shows that people with visual disabilities can not only make films, but, in the words of David Salas "generate visually beautiful products".
Entre Ojos, the short film with which this group of former users of the visual rehabilitation services of the Rehabilitation Center for Blind Adults - CRAC competes in the SmarTic category of the Film Festival Made with Cell Phones - SmartFilms; is a story with an unexpected ending, which seeks to demystify visual impairment by presenting the audience with Valeria, its blind protagonist, as an independent woman, capable of studying a demanding career at university and willing to fight for her goals and objectives; even if this involves facing the "blade" teacher who makes her doubt her professional choice.
Despite being sure of the quality of their short, they know that the competition will "be tough" as Wilson Tibocha assures, "since the call is international", however, they already feel like winners because they were able not only to take on the challenge but to achieve an excellent product, which allows them to demonstrate to other people with visual disabilities that like the whole group ensures: "disability is in the mind", and that blindness or low vision should not be an impediment to fulfilling the dreams and goals proposed.
