'I’m Only Blind' to Premiere at the 25th Annual Beverly Hills Film Festival

By Jenna Birdwell

Kamelya Alexan, who was working on her award-winning film Changing the Disciple, was craving another piece to direct. She loves films that inspire and showcase an underdog, so she was hoping to come across that idyllic person or community to capture. 

At her local gym, she was swimming as she usually does, and Dom came up to her. They chatted for a bit, and she ended up describing her field of work, mentioning her want to find the next best thing for a project.

Immediately, Dom seemingly knew who she was searching for: Tim Paul, a 66-year-old blind man who lives in Chicago. 

Alexan could already tell that Paul was special just by the way the other person was talking about him. She ended up getting in touch with Paul, and their connection was immediate. 

“I don’t know how I’m going to make this movie,” confessed Alexan in an interview we shared. 

Alexan was astounded after meeting Paul for the first time. She was going through some challenging times in her own life and firmly believes that she met him for a reason and at first this frightened her because she knew this film had to be perfect.

Behind the scenes with Tim Paul. Credit: Kamelya Alexan

What was showcased so well in the film was Paul’s abilities to shift the energy in any room, as his optimism and appreciation for life is so mesmerizing. 

He has an active life, for he partakes in anything that remotely seems interesting to him: downhill skiing, waterskiing, marathons, triathlons, flying a plane, driving a jet ski, and the list goes on. His resilience is felt through the screen, and he never makes any excuse as to why he can’t do something.

Paul is an avid runner and Alexan wanted to showcase his stamina in the film, so she would run with him while he trained multiple days a week or even during his marathons. She wasn’t in the best of shape when she first started running with him, but by the end of the filming process, she could keep up with his pace and she knew that the constant encouragement from Paul was a huge reason she kept going.  

“After you watched [the film], did you have a discussion with yourself like, ‘Hey, I always wanted to do this,’” says Alexan. “Let's just say you always wanted to fly a kite or go swimming in the Pacific Ocean, but you never did… what is the reason not to when there is a blind person that has every reason to give up, yet he doesn't.”

For two years, Alexan captured Paul’s day to day life and was able to put those moments into moving pictures. “I’m Only Blind” is also going to be the first film in the Beverly Hills Film Festivals 25-year history that will be accessible to the blind using high-end audio description technology. 

Tim Paul trains multiple days a week for his marathons in the city of Chicago. Credit: Kamelya Alexan 

 A Special Song for Tim & the World

Things were falling into place for Alexan — she was receiving help left and right from courteous people wanting to contribute. But she knew there was something missing from the film and she didn’t know what it was until she, by chance, came across Austin Edwards, a country singer-songwriter who earned second place on Season 15 of America's Got Talent. 

The story of how the original song “The Blind Man,” written by Edwards, came to be is too good not to tell. 

She met Edwards while scouting talent for a commercial and they immediately had so much in common, so she decided to go support him at his upcoming concert in Chicago a couple weeks later. 

He was performing on stage and noticed a girl in a white dress with the biggest smile on her face out in the crowd; she was singing every single one of his songs loud and proud. 

She ended up coming as close as she could to the speakers and Edwards soon realized she was blind because she was using a white cane to maneuver herself through the crowd. He could see that she wasn’t just hearing his music, but she was feeling it in all its vibrations. He then invited her to sing his songs on stage with him.

He described that day as being one of the most beautiful moments of his musical career, and Alexan was right there to witness it all.

She realized that what was missing from the film was a song to emulate the effect Paul has on the people around him, so she knew Edwards would be able to create something special. 

“Hey,” Alexan says to Edwards. “I'm going to ask you a question, but before I ask, I need to know that you have time to talk to me on the phone because we're not going to get off the phone until you tell me yes.”

 At first, Edwards was thrown off, but he decided to hear her out. She then started describing Paul to him. He immediately could feel the passion flowing through the phone from Alexan as she described his good traits and everlasting impact and so within minutes he concocted a chorus before the call even ended. 

The song “The Blind Man” was played to Paul for the first time and was caught on camera for the film. Edwards says he could never put into words the feeling he had while he and Paul cried together, listening to the song in all its glory. 

Austin Edwards and Tim Paul met for the first time and they shared a special moment while listening to Edward's original song "The Blind Man." Credit: Kamelya Alexan

Edwards 12-year-old son, Colton, also made an original song for the film; his father is having a major proud-dad-moment. Colton felt inclined to create his own piece of music after watching the film because Paul’s inspiration is so profound and reaches everybody, no matter a person's age. 

 “I hope that people watch this movie, and they receive, not necessarily Tim's perception, but his attitude,” expresses Edwards. “I want [the audience] to not just see it on the screen, I want them to walk out of that place with Tim's ability to find goodness even when you can't see any.” 

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And the best part of the film was Paul kept a smile on his face, in every shot, in every scene, no matter what.