India, Dec. 15 -- Smile Please, Bakul Matiyani's 2023 National Award-winning short film, explores childhood friendship, disability and the quiet grief families often avoid confronting, through the story of a boy living with Moebius Syndrome, a rare medical disorder that impairs facial movement, whose only smile is the one he draws with his fingers on a mirror.

Set in a small-town household on the cusp of a life-altering move, the understated film centres on Ali, a teenager living with his parents and sister, as he navigates fear, belonging and friendship on the last day before his family leaves home, capturing with sensitivity how vulnerability and love play out within families and friendships.

Matiyani, a graduate in Editing from the F...