Running blind with greater insight

Caught in a Taliban ambush while working as an interpreter for the British Army in Afghanistan, Wali Noori suffered horrendous injuries, as well as the loss of his sight.

This uplifting profile, Wali, directed by Duncan Nicholls and Tobias James with cinematography by Chris Dodds, reveals his journey to recovery, and how he found inspiration and healing through running. “I have to inspire," he says, "I have to show people I still have my energy, I still have my spirit. I haven’t surrendered myself to my blindness.”

With the aid of an orange tape he uses to link himself to his running buddies, he trains for long-distance sprints, revealing those who inspire him, such as Mo Farah. The orange tape becomes an emblem of his connection to his loved ones, including his baby daughter, and those who have supported him. “Nothing is impossible but you need willpower,” he says. 

He is told he runs as if he has sight and he realises that though he has lost his vision he has been given so much in return, the film ends with him triumphantly completing the London Marathon.