Private Project

ColorBlind

“ColorBlind” is an inversive romantic comedy film starring Cody Ray Thompson (The Shape of Water, Umbrella Academy, Man in the High Castle) and Natalie Malaika (Fractured, Day of the Dead, Baroness Von Sketch Show) about a white supremacist who has a laser eye surgery mishap, goes blind for a day, and falls in love with a Black woman.

  • Nauzanin Knight
    Director
    My Lyric I Never Knew, Abu & Mo: Two Orphans, ColorBlind
  • Nauzanin Knight
    Writer
    My Lyric I Never Knew, Abu & Mo: Two Orphans, ColorBlind
  • Mitra Knight
    Producer
  • Natalie Malaika
    Key Cast
    "Sherice"
    Fractured, Day of the Dead, Baroness Von Sketch Show
  • Cody Ray Thompson
    Key Cast
    "Jason"
    The Shape of Water, Umbrella Academy, Man in the High Castle
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Romantic Comedy, short
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Nauzanin Knight

Nauzanin Knight is a Canadian woman of Caribbean and Middle Eastern descent. Her nuanced stories reflect the uniqueness of her heritage as well as her international life. Her aim is to create projects that are both entertaining and draw attention to pressing social issues.

Nauzanin completed her MSc in Countering Organized Crime and Terrorism at University College London, in the UK and published her non-fiction book State Terrorism in Iran: understanding the case of the Iranian Bahá’í Community, before directing her attention to film projects.

She went on to write, direct and produce films like #SHADESOFWORTH, an exploration of self-worth and beauty in Black women; My Lyric I Never Knew (CBC/Gem, American Indian Film Festival 2019, NSI Film Festival 2019); From the Grassroots, a documentary film about the activities of the Baha’i Community; Precarity, a short documentary about the lived experience of Temporary Foreign Workers in Alberta (TELUS Optik, On-Demand). She is currently in the process of directing "White Sands" a feature documentary on the first Black Slave Society in Barbados with the National Film Board of Canada.

Nauzanin is a Women in the Director’s Chair (WIDC; 2020), Whistler Film Festival Doc Lab (2019), and BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media (2020) alumna.

An ardent believer in contributing to the vibrance of her community at the grassroots, Nauzanin serves as member of the diversity and inclusion committee of Women in Film and Television Alberta (WIFTA). She also facilitated the digital storytelling workshop series Empowering Black Girls (EBG) organized by Action for Healthy Communities.

As a researcher Nauzanin lead and conducted qualitative studies, “Building Inclusive Networks in the Film & Television Industry” (2021), a project funded by Telefilm, the Canada Media Fund, and others, as well as “Improving Access to Film and Television Markets” (2020), funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As the writer director of this film and as a woman of color, I was inspired by a few different realities of our time. In the United States, there has been an upsurge of public hate incidents (notably, the recent killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor). There has also been escalation in hate speech, with notable public figures inciting this language. This goes to show that views that may have been suppressed in a climate of political correctness had not disappeared, were not resolved.

Nor are these incidents exclusive to the United States; we all recall that a few months ago, in Edmonton, Alberta, we had a resurgence of white supremacy—including attacks that happened in the street.

We must continue to address questions of hidden prejudices toward Blacks and other minority groups in our communities, wherever we reside.

But it is not in my directorial style to perpetuate racial division by addressing these questions in a way that amplifies cultural differences. I would prefer to show that people can overcome even the deepest barriers to come to love one another. This is my reason for making this film. As a mixed-race person, what I want to see most is true equity and unity.

Attitudes of Colorblindness have been criticized in the mainstream media recently. However, this film is a critique of those criticism. True colorblindness—which comes from a place of deep insight, real empathy, a wholehearted yearning to understand people from different backgrounds, and a tried and tested acceptance of the oneness of humanity— is different than a naïve overlooking of our strength in diversity.

I want to create a film that ultimately manifests empathy, reconciliation and understanding.