The story of Martín and Mónica crosses borders from Málaga

Awarded twice and a powerful tool for raising awareness about visual disabilities, a short film made at IES Benalmádena in Málaga is having a significant impact, accumulating thousands of views and comments from across the country and even from Latin America. The story of Martín and Mónica, told in just five minutes, manages to open eyes to a reality that often goes unnoticed. The idea originated from two Therapeutic Pedagogy (PT) teachers, Casti Campanario and María del Mar Carrasco, triggered by the arrival at 1st year of ESO at IES Benalmádena of two new students with partial visual disabilities. Blending in among hundreds of students in the hallways, "they don't seem to have as significant a disability as they do." Moreover, they tend to want to hide it. This situation caused them some difficulties in the first months of the course, prompting the teachers to bring visual disability closer to their peers. From there came 'A Chocolate Cookie', the short film starring Martín and Mónica that triumphed at the I National School Short Film Contest Platino Educa and at the XI 'Audiovisual in School' Awards of the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia. "At first, we wanted to tell their story, to make them known throughout the school and to have others be careful around them, for example in the hallways or on stairs," explains Andrés Cansino, director and screenwriter of the short film. But the project grew, and in addition to presenting Martín Granados Molina and Mónica Prados Ezcurra, it shows how they feel and what their disability is like, although they are also two normal teenagers. Thus, the film begins by showing Martín at home, getting ready to go to school on a field trip day, without yet revealing anything. Andrés Cansino, a music teacher with experience in audiovisual projects, explains that the filming was complicated as it usually happens with minors and because they had to do it in record time without rehearsals. Moreover, dubbing and post-production also involve a lot of work. "The main scene, which in the short film is about a minute and a half or two, took us about six hours of filming," he recalls. In total, the planning spanned five weeks until April 9, the deadline for presenting it at one of the contests. 'A Chocolate Cookie' won the Special Education award at the I National School Short Film Contest Platino Educa, aimed at fostering creativity, critical thinking, and values among the youth. Along with IES Benalmádena, other winners included CEIP Iplacea, from Alcalá de Henares; CEIP Santos Médicos, from Cortes de Baza; and CPD Luis del Río, from Córdoba. Additionally, the short film from IES Benalmádena also won at the 'Audiovisual in School' Awards of the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia, where it received an extraordinary prize on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Audiovisual Council. A contest in which about 500 schools from all over Andalusia participated. Andrés Cansino, who asserts that the goal was to raise awareness about visual disability without resorting to "easy emotion," says that the entire team of the short film is very satisfied, beyond the awards, for the utility this work is having. The self-esteem of Martín and Mónica has increased thanks to ‘A Chocolate Cookie’: "Everyone knows them in the center, even on the street. It was something neither they nor their families expected." As for sensitization and education in values, the teacher explains that they are already noticing the effects of the short film: "When we see cases like this, we all learn what life is, what is important, the day-to-day of people and the difficulties of each one." The video has been shown to all students at IES Benalmádena, class by class, and presented by Martín and Mónica. Even their classmates have been able to experience how these young people see the world thanks to virtual reality glasses and an application that simulates having low vision. And the short film itself recreates the field of vision of both. "The awareness work that my colleagues have done has been incredible," highlights Andrés Cansino, who has been accompanied in this project, in addition to Casti and María del Mar, by teacher Luis Raya, as assistant director and producer. Since April, the video has already accumulated thousands of views on different social networks and has been shared by educational and disability profiles. "Being an audiovisual work, it can serve many years," emphasizes the director of the short film, adding that they have received comments from South America telling them that they will use it in their classes. "It is a satisfaction that a work from a class here, simply by pressing a button, can fulfill its function anywhere in the world and for years," he highlights. As an anecdote, they have also received applause from the legendary company Galletas Gullón, one of whose products appears in the short film. A coincidence that the company liked, which not only contacted IES Benalmádena and sent them four batches of cookies but also encouraged them to participate in the Aguilar de Campoo Short Film Festival, where they have their factory. Happiness can be found in the simplest things... like a chocolate cookie. And at IES Benalmádena, they have managed to convey it through the story of Martín and Mónica.