We are carrying out a project titled “Accessible Cinema:Breaking the Vicious Circle” within the scope of Civil Society Support Program III implemented by the EU Presidency with the financial support of the European Union.
During the project which will continue for 15 months between April 2021 and July 2022, we will bring together NGOs working in the field of access to cinema in Turkey and Europe. Through lobbying activities, workshops, reporting and outputs such as public service ads and surveys, we will try to identify the obstacles to participation in cinema events, to offer solutions, to strengthen the representation of disabled people in cinema and to establish cooperation with institutions that organize accessible cultural events in Turkey. With our project, we hope that policy makers will be more interested in such works in the long term and make the necessary arrangements.
The project is carried out in collaboration with the Socio-Cultural Society of Koszalin from Poland (co-applicant) with contribution of Carousel Project from the UK, KLAPPE AUF! Kurzfilmfestival from Germany, Extra & Ordinary People asbl from Belgium and Associació Inclús from Spain (associates). With these institutions who organize accessible film festivals in their own countries, we will exchange ideas and offer solutions so that people can access cinema under equal conditions.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Access Friendly Venue Certificate One of the activities to break the vicious circle of access to cinema will be defining and promoting a certification program. In this context, the criteria of the “Access Friendly Venue Certificate” will be defined with the contributions of the co-applicant and associates of the project as well as the actors and representatives working in the field of cinema and accessibility. Before outlining the certification process, research will be conducted on the best practices in European countries. A workshop to be held in 2022 will define the criteria of the certification program.
Minimum Quota for Accessible Screenings One of the activities to be carried out to ensure that disabled people have access to the cinema will be the "Minimum Quota for Accessible Screenings". This activity aims the venue owners and distribution companies to make a certain percentage of their screenings accessible as a legal regulation. In this context, a video film and an introductory brochure will be prepared and extensive lobbying activities will be carried out with these tools.
Activities for increasing the representation of disabled people in the cinema Under this title, some activities will be carried out to increase the representation of disabled people in the cinema. With the public service announcement to be prepared, attention will be drawn to the inadequate or false representations of disabled individuals in their representations on cinema and TV. In addition, a feature film featuring a disabled person will be screened online and an online meeting will be held with the participation of the Ministry of Culture, production companies, and NGO representatives.
Activities for defining the obstacles before the participation of disabled people to events related to cinema Under this activity title, the barriers to the participation of disabled people in cinema activities will be defined. In this context, a survey will be conducted to reveal the barriers preventing disabled people from going to the cinema. An online workshop will be held with the participation of film festivals, associations working in the field of accessibility, and representatives of the cinema industry. In this workshop, the results of the survey will be shared with the participants and the problems and possible solutions will be discussed. At the end of the workshop, a report which includes the survey and workshop results will be produced.
Activities for Networking with Relevant Actors With this activity title, it is aimed to increase the interaction and cooperation between the actors operating in the field of access to culture and art. In this context, Platform for Accessible Culture will be established which will include NGOs and activists who are active in the field, and two meetings (one online and one physical) will be organized with the members of the platform.
Establishment of the “Web Portal for Accessible Cultural Activities” A web portal will be set up where accessible culture and art events and venues are listed and mapped, in order to enable disabled people to receive information about the accessible culture and arts events. The outputs of the project will be also published on this portal.
