When Chennai-based short filmmaker B. Suresh Kumar from Chennai set out to shoot a three-and-a-half-minute micro short ‘Beula’ on the streets of Tenkasi last November, he was chasing a story that needed to be told,He was not thinking about awards or recognition. But earlier this July, ‘Beula’ won the Best Social Storytelling award at Sanità Film Festival in Naples, Italy.

At the heart of the film, the titular character is Beula, a class 8 student with a locomotor disability. She is not a trained actor, but what she brings to the screen is raw and real.

“Ms. Beula lives at Amar Seva Sangam in Ayikudi, Tenkasi and she carries the film much like a seasoned performer who did not need multiple takes,” says Mr. Suresh Kumar.  Amar Seva Sangam is an organisation that supports persons with disabilities. The film is made to create awareness about building an inclusive society for persons with disabilities, he said, while thanking Amar Seva Sangam’s founder-president, S. Ramakrishnan for his support.

Shot in Sundarapandiapuram, the film delivers its message about a 13-year-old refusing to be boxed in her disability without relying on dialogues.

This is not Mr. Kumar’s first global recognition. Having previously won the Grand Prix award in South Korea for his short film ‘Arithaaram’ (Facial Makeover). The short filmmaker has been seeking out “social action” concepts. “Nothing can make an impact on society the way films do,” he says.

Beula is competing at film festivals in Australia, Germany and Albania, and will soon be available on YouTube.