One smile in enough to change the word
A project to change the way society interacts with disabled and to promote the Support Centre for Disabled Children (EÇADEM).
The aim of the project was to change the way society views and interacts with children and young people with Down syndrome, and to promote the Support Centre for Disabled Children (EÇADEM).
The results were amazing: more than 31.8 million views on Facebook, 1.2 million people shared the film, 99.7% of feedback was positive. The number of Ecadem volunteers rose 400%, Eçadem’s web traffic rose 2400%. All for an outlay of €500 (of which €150 was spent on seeding).
After only three weeks of prep time, the film was shot with hidden cameras and without actors, though with the cooperation of families with disabled children.
The storytelling is about a letter written by the mother of Tufan, the fourteen-year-old disabled hero of the video, which she arranges in a city park to have delivered to bystanders, who are unaware of being filmed: “Please don’t look at my son with pity; all he needs is a smile to be happy.”
The natural and spontaneous reactions to the letter are exceptionally moving , but also result in wonderful and generous smiles directed to Tufan.
Many people contributed to the immense success of the project. Direction was by writer and filmmaker Kuntay Alpman, who also made Samsung’s celebrated “Hearing Hands”, and the entire Casta Diva Group crew worked for no fee. Well-known Turkish actress Özge Borak provided the voice over and the music was composed by Burak Ekinil.
The project went online on Facebook of 3rd December 2015, the international day for the disabled.
Watch the video:
