“In real life, people put me down, they make fun of my eyes,” 12-year-old Hisham Wadan said to BBC Asian Network. Due to gradually losing his eye sight, he came up with the idea to create a short film ‘Lost in London’ which focuses on the struggles that people with disabilities face. Hisham set forth to star in his short film explaining his experiences with his disability and the difficulties he faces when he is around people or simply just walking the streets of London.
The 12-year-old boy and his cousin Imaan Wadan joined forces to create the production with a hope to reach out to the world and provide knowledge and expertise on how to treat and support people with disabilities.
Hisham explained he can only see up to 6 meters and has night blindness, which means he has compromised sight during the night.
His cousin Imaan Wadan explained that she tries to work with actors who are faced with the reality of the situation. She believes that people who know exactly how it feels to have the condition, allow for a smoother production.
The production of the short film began not so long after lockdown restrictions were lifted last summer (2020). Family members were used as actors, which made it slightly difficult to coordinate everyone, but in the end it all worked out smoothly according to Imaan Wadan. She added: “My sister and Hisham were probably the hardest to deal with.”
COVID-19 has been an obstacle for many people, it has made life uncertain, but for Hishaam and his family they were motivated to create something meaningful and effective whilst following the rules and guidelines of the COVID-19 restrictions.
Imaan’s father Rizwan Wadan stated:”It’s because of the hard work they’ve put into the pre-production without my input that convinced me to actually take this seriously.” He has been in the production industry in the past, working on films such as Star Wars. He decided to use his contacts in the industry to help fund the project, as he could see the amount of dedication and effort Hisham and Imaan were putting into their work. He reached out to whoever he could and said “these children are going to be making a film”.
With the support, love and care from their family, Hisham and Imaan have brought forth the touching short film ‘Lost in London’, which campaigns against the bullying of people with disabilities.
Positive World Online 