TRUE COLORS FILM FESTIVAL

The real life experiences of children and parents from Palestine on their arrival in Slovenia as part of the humanitarian project “Rehabilitation of children victims of war in Gaza”. The main characters are seven-year-old Baylasan and her mother Amal, and their shared wish that Baylasan can one day walk like other children.

What do you do when you discover an asylum-seeker in your home? Inspired by a 2012 event in which 40 Burmese Rohingya asylum seekers arrived in Singapore, this is a story about an elderly widow’s moral dilemma over her unexpected dinner guest. Winner of Best Southeast Asian Short Film at the Singapore Film Festival 2014.

Every Saturday, a group of children with different conditions, such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism, gather with caregivers and volunteers in a hall on the grounds of a church in Quezon City to practise their moves via an intervention tool called, Rope of Hope.

A social enterprise that collects waste flowers from temples and shrines and makes organic products including incense sticks, vermi-compost, a biodegradable styrofoam substitute, and a bio leather. By preventing flowers from entering the water system of the Ganges and employing marginalized Dalit women, the enterprise has carved a unique niche in preventing water pollution and enabling and empowering women in India. This film was a winner of the SIMA 2019 Jury Award, a Finalist in the Webby Awards 2020 – Diversity & Inclusion and a Finalist in the Shorty Social Good Awards 2019.

Simone has a clear idea: he wants to fly away. He wants to do it alone, but brings us along, to a distant place, Elsewhere. This is a story about a trip beyond boundaries: beyond Italy and beyond the boundaries drawn by the words “Down Syndrome”. It offers a glimpse into the inner life of a person with Down Syndrome who, besides suffering and struggling to accept his condition, wants to offer people a different perspective of life. This film won the Grand Jury Prize, International Short Film at Bluenose Ability Arts Festival 2015.

Yusra, a refugee from Yemen and a single mother living in Malaysia, inspires others with her fearlessness and resilience. Despite her uncertain situation, she is an active community leader who strives to help other refugees cope.

When a successful dentist’s personal and professional life came to an abrupt halt because of a vision-impairing condition, he was determined to adapt and help others facing similar challenges. This is the inspiring story of the New Delhi man who started a training programme for eight differently abled students and has now trained more than 18,000. Some 16,000 of them have found employment in different industries.

An uncommon love story. Pauk Gyi earns a living ferrying people back and forth over the Ngawon River in Myanmar’s Delta. He and his wife share a deep attachment that transcends all manner of obstacles – including his own lifelong disability. This film was given the Second Award, We Care Film Festival 2015.

Chennai Children’s Choir, created by NalandaWay Foundation, bridges the divisions between children from different backgrounds of caste, social class and ability. The choir sings with perfect diction in Telugu, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Kannada, and English and recently performed at the Kennedy Center’s Serenade! Choral Festival and the Singapore International Choral Festival.

Alexander Zhuravlev, a blind photographer from Russia, took a step beyond the horizon of his own possibilities. With only 2% of residual vision, Alexander realized some years ago that he would not sign a verdict for himself and would not become an invalid. Travelling around Russia and the rest of the world, he began taking pictures, and with a smartphone, he showed the world to sighted people. This film was given the First Award, We Care film Festival 2017.

Set on the edge of India’s Thar Desert and in the middle of the world’s largest camel fair, this film looks at the underbelly of one of world’s most popular tourist destinations. The film is a tribute to human ingenuity and sound environmental practice, and highlights a challenge faced by some two billion people on our planet every single day. Poop on Poverty has won numerous awards including Best Film Golden Horseshoe Grand Prix, Asterfest 2014, Best Film Award (Documentary), Film Leben Festival 2014 and Audience Favorite, Linconnu Festival 2015.

At the height of the global pandemic earlier this year, True Colors Festival wanted to send a message of hope and positivity to people everywhere. It also wanted to draw attention to the plight of the world’s largest minority – people with disabilities – who were facing unprecedented and under-reported challenges. Enter 46 singers, dancers and musicians from 15 countries/areas who “got together” to perform an updated and stirring rendition of the classic Ben E. King hit “Stand By Me”.

Sophanna is a singer, composer, music and English teacher, overall inspiration. Orphaned at six, paralysed at 10 and given a year to live, he has experienced unimaginable loss and pain. And he chose light and service to others, as exemplified by his father. The documentary won the Silver Medal for Documentary Short, Asia South East Short Film Festival 2018.

This is a story about a woman of strength and bravery, a woman who never gives up. Disabled since childhood, she’s overcome much hardship and discrimination and is on a mission to create a barrier-free society not just for herself, but for other disabled people, and to eliminate discrimination.

International breakdance crew ILL-ABILITIES™ has proven that dance is a language all of its own. In the first of this three-part series, we are introduced to the crew and find out how ILL-ABLITIES™ started out.

International breakdance crew ILL-ABILITIES™ has proven that dance is a language all of its own. This second part of the series captures the crew rehearsing and gearing up before a show-stopping performance in Tokyo.

International breakdance crew ILL-ABILITIES™ has proven that dance is a language all of its own. This second part of the series captures the crew rehearsing and gearing up before a show-stopping performance in Tokyo.

The single mother of a special needs son struggles to keep her head above water as she faces poverty, isolation and frustration.

Best friends Ke-rou (Gwei Lun-mei) and Yueh-chen meet the school’s swimming champion Shih-hao (Chen Bolin). Ke-rou helps convey messages to Shih-hao for Yueh-chen. He ends up liking sexually confused Ke-rou, who carries a torch for her best friend. An official selection of the Director’s Fortnight 2002 at Cannes, this tender coming-of-age film about the innocence of teenage romance and friendship continues to resonate with youths today.

Kang-yi returns for summer holidays to help her blind father in his massage salon. She meets gangster Ah Ping and they fall in love, incurring the jealousy of Ah Lim, who is the son of a rival gangster clan. Working with non-professional actors, the film interweaves drama with dream-like sequences to portray the psychological realism of a blind massage family and their problems with the local gangs. Winner of the Grand Prix at the Tokyo International Film Festival 1999, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing at the Golden Horse Film Festival 1999, this film has rarely been screened internationally in the past two decades.

Mental is a documentary that observes the complex world of a unique outpatient mental health clinic in Japan. Weaving together the voices of patients, Dr Yamamoto, staff, volunteers, and home-helpers, the film breaks a major taboo against discussing mental illness and captures the lives of people coping with suicidal tendencies, poverty, a sense of shame, apprehension and social anxiety. Winner of Best Documentary at Busan Film Festival 2008 and at Dubai Film Festival 2008.

Joey (Lorna Tolentino) is a junkie who’s in love with an activist. Kathy (Gina Alajar) is a mediocre singer who wants to be a star. Sylvia (Sandy Andolong) is a lawyer who finds security in the love of her gay ex-husband. Maritess (Anna Marin) is a teen housewife who’s treated as a baby factory by her conservative husband. How do these four women face the challenges of living in a patriarchal society? Directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya and written by Ricky Lee, this is an important feminist film from Asia that weaves together the conversations of four women with much generosity and empathy. This film is restored by ABS-CBN at the L’Immagine Ritrovata. Winner of Best Screenplay, Metro Manila Film Festival 1982 and Best Supporting Actress, FAMAS Award in Philippines 1982.

A music teacher organises a talent contest to celebrate her school’s 70th anniversary. Malay-mixed Melur serenades deaf Indian boy Mahesh who is assigned to escort her home from auditions. Chinese Kahoe puts pressure on himself to defeat his Malay rival Hafiz. Although they come from different family backgrounds and are each facing their own problems, music binds them together. As with other Yasmin Ahmad’s films, the youths inherit much of the racial prejudices from their parents but luckily, they are more inclined to friendship and love. The swan song of Yasmin brings us a chorus of hope, humour and sentimentality. Winner of Best Southeast Asian Film, Cinemanila Film Festival 2009 and Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Malaysia Film Festival 2009.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, has been abhorred by the human race for centuries. However, the facts about the disease and the denial of basic human rights through prejudice and discrimination have remained hidden in the shadows. For more than 40 years, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, Yohei Sasakawa, has waged a war on the disease. From a Pigmy village of 23 people to Vatican City in Rome, this documentary – edited from more than 1,600 hours of footage – captures Sasakawa’s journey around the world, to 50 locations in 20 countries. His bid to eradicate leprosy and restore human dignity is not over. Can we finally overcome the stigma of leprosy? Winner of 1st Festival Award at the 5th International Documanter Festival Of Ierapatra.