My Brother Nikhil maker Onir's debut documentary selected for Maryland film fes...

Director Onir’s debut documentary —Raising The Bar, is the official selection (in the documentary film section) at the Maryland International Festival that will take place from March 31 to April 2, in the US. Onir is thrilled that a story of children and young adults with down syndrome is touching hearts across the globe.

“When I was asked to make this documentary, the reason I agreed was because it touched me somewhere. My whole purpose was to ensure that this documentary has a wide reach. And in a way, it can help people change or perceive the way they look at differently abled people. It’s not a film, which is preachy or boring; it talks of human stories across continents. The fact that it has been selected at the film festival makes me feel that the challenges and problems are beyond boundaries and how much people can relate to the film,” says Onir.

The filmmaker, who has helmed films such as I Am (2011), Bas Ek Pal (2006) and My Brother Nikhil (2005), hopes that someday Indian feature films or television shows will also have a character (in their script) with down syndrome as part of their story. “It’s not easy in our industry, especially because getting the finances can be tough. I would love to someday write a script for a film on similar lines,” he says.