Do not judge those who act in compulsion: ‘As Far As They Can Run’ brings mental health awareness

It seems that the world of Pakistani film continues to soar to new heights as local faces grace the screens at the Emmy Awards yet again this year. Documentary film As Far As They Can Run bags a nomination under the Outstanding Documentary Short category at the 44th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

Produced by Academy and two-time Emmy winning filmmaker Haya Fatima Iqbal, co-producer Ziad Zafar and cinematographer Nadir Siddiqui sit down with BBC Urdu to talk about the project’s journey of bringing issues pertaining to the management of children’s mental illnesses to the forefront.

The film circles around the lives of children in and around Mirpurkhas that have intellectual disabilities who receive training to become athletes, to which Zafar celebrated how one of the girls featured in their film, Sana Kapri, went on to light the torch at the Special Olympics this year. “Ultimately, this film is about love and how when you approach someone with love or look at them through a loving perspective, that person can completely change,” stated Zafar in an attempt to describe the crux of the plot.

While describing the harrowing experience of meeting these children, Siddiqui spoke of the long-drawn out journey of watching Sana having to be tied to her bed because of her family’s fear of her running away to neighboring villages, all the way to witnessing her become capable enough to be bestowed with such a big honour as lighting the torch at the Special Olympics, pointing towards the capability the children truly possessed.

“On a cultural basis there is a lack of awareness on our front. The abilities and potential any disabled person has; there isn’t much awareness in our society about it. I saw that from a distance, even my judgements were strong…to see a girl chained to her bed, the first thought is that her parents are oppressing her but after speaking to them for two to three hours you release they too have no choice…slowly it was a revelation for those parents as well,” recalled Siddiqui, as he narrated how Sana’s parents eventually saw her progress.

“Adversity can make one so vulnerable,” clarified Zafar, urging audiences to not assume the worst of these circumstances, “we tried very hard in this film that the humanity these people possess is still shown despite these realities.”