KSU film becomes viral hit

A short film made by a group of King Saud University students has become an unexpected viral hit with over 100,000 youtube views. The film — entitled ‘Men of Good Fortune’ (‘Ahsan mn ghiery’) — is about attitudes to people with disabilities.
Conceived and written by Turki Al-Shehri, who studies English at KSU, the film features him and his classmates Fahad Al-Malki, Rakan Al-Jenaidel, Abdullah Al-Khalid and Ghazai Al-Nashmi, and was directed by Mohammed Al-Shahrani, a semi-professional filmmaker.
‘Men of Good Fortune’ is a dramatized account of the emotions felt by those who are blind, deaf or crippled, and the prejudice faced by disabled people. The film has three essential messages: First, that society must recognize and accept the disabled as complete and equal human beings; two, that no disability can prevent a person from achieving his or her goals; and three, that the greatest disability of all is to have all one’s functions intact, but to do nothing with them.
In addition to the fictional component, ‘Men of Good Fortune’ also includes an interview with Ammar Haitham Abdullah, a 26-year-old Saudi national who has been paralyzed since birth, with only the use of his mouth and eyes. Abdullah was initially denied entrance to high school in the Kingdom due to his condition, yet ultimately graduated from university and now works as a journalist.
In Arabic with English subtitles, ‘Men of Good Fortune’ has impressed education and healthcare professionals in the Kingdom and across the world, and has been described as "great,” “absolutely amazing,” “fascinating” and “very moving.” Created simply as a project for their Communications course, the success of ‘Men of Good Fortune’ has come as a surprise to Al-Shehri and his team. “We’re very touched by the positive reaction from people who say that our film has changed their view of people with disabilities,” says Al-Shehri. “We just want to let everyone know that no matter what obstacle you are facing, as long as you have strong faith, you will make it in the end.”
(The film can be viewed on its YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDhvq87R4OA or http://bit.ly/TXtERx)