Kamelya Alexan sat in a ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hilton, awaiting the announcement of the awards at the Beverly Hills Film Festival this spring. It wasn’t quite the Oscars — although her film did make the “long list” for Oscar documentary nominations —but it was about as close to it as the filmmaker  had yet experienced.

Her film, about an Evanston native who’s a serious athlete  despite being blind, was up against some Hollywood heavyweights, including a documentary on film legend Martin Scorsese. When the announcement came for the audience choice award, though, Alexan’s name was called.

“It was unbelievable,” said, who also grew up in Evanston. “It’s just crazy that this little film won. But it shows you that if you truly put your heart and soul into something, and you have really good intentions, you will be rewarded.”

Her film, “I’m Only Blind,” is a profile of 66-year-old Tim Paul, a visually impaired man who competes in marathons and triathlons and hasn’t let his blindness deter him from living his life to the fullest. Both Alexan and Paul continue to call the Chicago area home.

Alexan has worked in the film industry in and around Chicago most of her adult life since graduating from Columbia College in 2007. She’s often involved with Hollywood productions that come to town, but she also enjoys working on smaller projects.

Her first film was “Changing the Disciple,” about a Chicago man who escaped gang life. “I do these passion projects, and I like underdog stories,” she says. “These are the stories that really fuel me.”

Tim Paul, an Evanston native and subject of the documentary “I’m Only Blind,” is shown finishing the 2025 Chicago marathon with guide Brendaa Valdivia. Filmmaker Kamelya Alexan, who also grew up in Evanston, won a Beverly Hills Film Fest award for the documentary. (Kamelya Alexan)

Her friend at the gym told her that he knew of a great subject, Tim Paul, a blind man who worked at the Chicago Lighthouse, who has run more than 20 marathons. He thought they should meet.

“And I thought, how does a man work at a lighthouse who’s blind,” Alexan recalls. “I thought he was talking about a lighthouse on Lake Michigan.”

It was, in fact, the Chicago Lighthouse, an organization founded in 1906, that provides vision care and social services to help visually impaired people and their families. “So I feel pretty silly,
but still, I love this story. I think, if half the stuff he’s telling me about this guy is true, the world deserves to know about him.”

Alexan arranged to meet Paul for coffee. The two ended up talking for six hours, and she knew at that point that this was a person worth putting on film.

“I couldn’t get enough of Tim,” she said. “And that inspired me to go out for a run the next day. And when I found a lucky dollar on the floor, I thought, I have to make this movie. I don’t know how I’m going to do it. But we’ll figure it out.”

Tim Paul and Kamelya Alexan appeared at a December screening of the film, “I’m Only Blind,” at Columbia College in Chicago. Alexan produced the film about Paul, who skis and runs marathons despite his blindness. (Jeff Banowetz)

Convincing Paul didn’t take too long. He was game to have someone with a camera following him around, on and off, for the better part of two years.

“I thought from the start it was a really nice thing for her to be interested in my life,” Paul said. “We got along well from the start, so I never really had any doubts about the project. I felt like I could trust her.”

“I just love his optimistic personality,” Alexan said. “He always has a smile on his face. He doesn’t allow anything to stop him, and he has a heart that I’ve never seen in any soul.”

For Alexan, working on the film also helped her overcome some of her own difficulties.

“When I met Tim, I was in a dark place in my life,” she said. “I was getting a divorce and just had surgery, and felt like it was one of the lowest moments of my life.

“I would think to myself how I’m alone, by myself and in the dark. And here comes Tim, who’s by definition living in the dark, and he’s able to thrive,” she said. “He gave me so much inspiration and helped me get out of a dark place, and I wanted others to see that, too. I wanted more people to see the light that he brings to life. That’s why I thought this film was so important.”

The film is an inspiring look at Paul’s accomplishments, but it’s also a love letter to the city of Chicago and the community that has supported him and his athletic interests.

“I’m very proud that we’re able to highlight this beautiful city,” Alexan said. “This is a locally made film. It’s all local talent and produced and directed here.”

The film, which debuted at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, has been screened more than 40 times since, mostly in Chicago area theaters. She and Paul have attended many of the screenings together for Q&As and Alexan has received overwhelmingly positive responses to the film.

“It’s a family-friendly movie, made for everyone,” she said. “And getting to talk to people afterwards and hear their stories has just been a joy.”

At one event, a 12-year-old girl got up to let Paul know she was losing vision in her left eye and was worried about the other.

“She told Tim, ‘you’re my hero,’” Alexan said. “Moments like that just get you as a filmmaker. I put in two years of work on this film, and then you hear something like that and how your work can influence another person — it’s all you could ever ask for.”

Alexan chronicled Paul competing in the Chicago Triathlon, snow skiing, water skiing and even co-piloting an airplane.

For his endurance events, he runs and swims tethered to a guide, who also provides instructions to help him navigate the other athletes. (They ride a tandem bike in the triathlon). When skiing, a guide skis behind Paul and provides instruction, telling him when to turn and advising him of the conditions ahead.

“I’ve always thought, why not try it,” Paul said. “You only have one life. Why let anything hold you back? I’ve been lucky that there are people who have always been willing to help me learn to ski or go on a run… I just take advantage of what I can do.”

“You see what Tim is able to do by believing in himself, and you can’t help but be changed… You may be going through some struggles in your life, and this helps remind you that you could do a little bit better. You don’t have to let your problems stop you from taking control.”

The film was on a list of about 200 documentaries eligible for this year’s Academy Awards. It did not, however, make the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ short list of 15 potential nominees, announced Dec. 16, making an actual nomination unlikely. But simply getting on the long list far exceeded Alexan’s expectations.

“The fact that we made the long list is just amazing,” Alexan said. “I still can’t believe it.”

No matter what happens during the awards season in the months ahead, Alexan expects to offer more screenings throughout the Chicago area in 2026 and hopes to eventually find interest from a streaming service for wider distribution.

Those interested in a screening can find out more information at the film’s website, alexanproductions.com.

“I hope it’s able to find a wide distribution so more people can see it,” she says. “Tim is an inspiring person, and I want more people to meet him. I want everyone to meet Tim.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/06/blind-athlete-evanston-native-film-fest-award/