Short film from India in global vaccination awareness campaign

Filmmaker Rakesh Omprakash Mehra's new short film, which aims to raise awareness on polio vaccination, is now part of a global campaign where over 30 world artists attempt to depict the power of vaccines.
The campaign titled "the Art of Saving a Life" has been commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is part of efforts to "spark conversations and interest" and raise funds to immunize tens of thousands of people around the world who do not have access to health care.
Mehra says his film "The Girl Who Kicked the Ball," is a metaphorical portrayal of the polio virus as aliens and the human spirit that defeated it by creating an anti-virus in a vaccine.

The dark, avant garde film blends computer generated animation with black and white photographs that highlight the "harsh and very real daily reality" of children suffering from polio.
"I was born in 1963 and was always saddened when kids with polio could not join the game of football. They strove a hundred times as hard but still got left behind in the playground and in every aspect of life.
"'The Girl Who Kicked the Ball' is my salute to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the change they have brought about. Isn't it a miracle that now when I pass a football field there is nobody watching from the bench longing to jump in?," Mehra said in a statement.

The film "shows the power of immunisation and tells of a brighter outcome in our fight against diseases if we, like the protagonist, take a stand against them."
Apart from Mehra, others whose works are featured in the campaign include photographer Annie Leibovitz, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, actress Mia Farrow and the music band Playing for Change.
According to available statistics, about 6 million people die from diseases that are easily preventable by vaccines and one in five children in the world do not have access to vaccines.