“Hand Sight,” one of Anaïs Michel’s latest short documentary films, will premiere at the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films that starts tomorrow in Varna, Bulgaria. The nine-minute short follows Lana, a four-year- old blind girl who was born in Russia and now lives with her family, in New York City. She attends the Children’s Learning Center at the Helen Keller Center in Brooklyn, where she learns to develop her tactile skills in the absence of her sight. We hear from Garth White, the principal of the school; her mother, who encourages Lana to play the piano; and a current teacher, who is especially admiring of Lana’s tenacity. All in all, the film allows viewers to experience the challenges of growing up blind and reminds us of the importance of having a strong network of individuals that can push us to strive for more.
Anaïs Michel is a New York City based documentary filmmaker and editor. After getting a Bachelor’s degree at La Sorbonne and a Master’s degree at the French Press Institute, Anaïs Michel decided to leave Paris to learn how to make documentary films in New York. She fell in love with the craft and the city and decided to stay to pursue her career. After graduating, she crossed the country to work as an editor in Portland, Oregon with the Oscar nominated filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky. Back in New York, she has worked for the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vice News Tonight and is now editing at HBO.
Learn more about the International Festival of Red Cross and Health Films at the link below
http://redcrossfilmfest.org/fest_eng.html