Award-winning director Shay Hamias of NERD Productions directed this charming spot for Multiple Sclerosis alongside agency Digitas NY and MS Lifelines. The online film takes you through the daily struggles of a young boy whose mother has been diagnosed with the condition. Through the vector-art style animation, we see the viewpoint of the boy through his “magic glasses” and the challenges that the family face dealing with the condition. 

“We [had] been working with our client MS Lifelines for some time and it became apparent there wasn’t a tool for MS sufferers to explain to their children about the disease in a way they could relate to. This is why we decided to make a film. Shay’s vision and engagement as well as his emotive animation style meant he was right man for the job,” says Brian Lefkowitz EVP/ECD of Digitas Health Life Brands, NY.

Shay had previously won awards including a D&AD Pencil for Mindful, an awareness advert by M&C Saatchi. He says, “These briefs strike an emotional cord as you’re not selling a product but engaging and educating people on real-life important, everyday issues. I also normally find these briefs are much more open ended and creatively challenging.  I’m intrigued by motional storytelling.”

The film received an incredible response from sufferers and their families and is continually used as a visual tool to describe the illness not only to children, but to all. It is the first of its kind to portray the bigger picture of MS, which is often referred to as the “invisible illness.”