Young film-maker gets TV premiere

Raabia Hussain: short film to be screened in TV

FORMER Oldham College student Raabia Hussain will have her short film shown on TV on Monday.

“September 11th” about a deaf Muslim girl who is bullied following the Twin Tower attacks, will be screened on Film4’s programme BSL Zone at 8am. Viewers will also be able to watch it on the Community Channel all next week.

Raabia, who has a hearing impairment, was one of six winners of the Zoom short film competition which supports up-and-coming British deaf talent. The Hathershaw 18 year old was encouraged to enter while studying creative media at Oldham College.

She won £2,500 to produce her film: “Since I was a young girl I have dreamed of becoming a film-maker and now my dream has come true.

“During filming we were overcome with obstacles such as the weather. We were on such a tight schedule that we had to film non-stop, so it was very tiring.”

She is now studying film at Leeds Metropolitan University and also volunteers with Oldham Deaf Diverse Community.

The competition is run by the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust. Maverick Litchfield-Kelly, from Neath Films, said: “I was truly taken aback by Raabia’s energy and confidence. She is the youngest director we’ve ever worked with on the Zoom project. She was fantastic and the resulting film is a brilliant credit to her.”

“September 11th” will be submitted to film festivals around the world.

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