‘Accessible Cinema: Breaking the Vicious Circle’ Project was carried out to improve the policies, practices, and physical infrastructure of the cinema industry for the disabled. The project highlighted the barriers to the participation of disabled individuals in cinema events and solutions necessary to overcome these barriers.
“With this project, we brought CSOs working in the field of accessible cinema in Türkiye and Europe together, and carried out various activities such as lobbying, workshops and reporting. Through outputs like public service broadcasting and surveys, we identified the barriers to the participation of the disabled in cinema events. We carried out activities to provide solutions to this end, to strengthen the representation of people with disabilities in cinema, and to establish cooperation with institutions that organise accessible cultural events in Türkiye.”
Ezgi Yalınalp is the coordinator of the “Accessible Cinema: Breaking the Vicious Circle” Project, implemented under the Third Phase of the Civil Society Support Programme. Talking about a run-down of the project activities, Yalınalp also shared her expectations from the impact of the project: “We hope that through our project, policy makers will show interest in the long run, and facilitate the much-needed change.”
The project was carried out under the coordination of Puruli Culture and Art Association, in partnership with the Socio–Cultural Society of Koszalin in Poland, and in collaboration with the Carousel Project in the UK, KLAPPE AUF! Short Film Festival in Germany, Extra & Ordinary People asbl in Belgium, and Associació Inclús in Spain. Ezgi Yalınalp added that a dialogue was established with partner organisations experienced in organising accessible film festivals in their own countries, and they are working toward joint solutions for accessible cinema for all.
‘Access to Cinema is a Right’
Here is a run-down of the objectives and the activities of the project, set out with the motto, “Access to Cinema is a Right”.
Accessible Venue Certificate
One of the activities undertaken to break the vicious circle of accessible cinema was establishing and promoting a certification programme. In this context, the criteria for the “Accessible Venue Certificate” were identified with contribution from the partners and participants of the project, as well as actors and representatives working in the field of accessible cinema. Before outlining the certification process, a study was conducted on best practices in European countries. The criteria for the certification process were identified in a workshop held in April 2022.
Minimum Quota for Accessible Screenings
“Minimum Quota for Accessible Screenings” was another activity carried out to ensure that people with disabilities have access to cinema. The objective was to have the venue owners and distribution companies allocate a certain percentage of their screenings to accessible conditions. In this context, extensive lobbying activities were carried out with a short film and an introductory brochure prepared within the project.
Activities to increase representation of the disabled in cinema
A public service broadcasting helped raising awareness on inadequate or misleading representations of disabled persons in cinema and TV. In addition, a film featuring a disabled person was screened online, and an online meeting was held with the participation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, production companies and CSO representatives.
Activities to identify barriers preventing the disabled from going to cinema
A survey was conducted to identify and reveal the barriers preventing persons with disabilities from going to the cinema. An online workshop was held with the participation of film festivals, disability CSOs, and representatives of the cinema industry. The results of the survey were shared with the participants and the problems and potential solutions were discussed in the workshop. A report outlining the workshop outputs is available.
Networking activities with relevant actors
The objective of these activities was to increase the interaction and cooperation among the actors operating in the field of access to arts and culture. In this context, a “Platform for Accessible Culture” was established with the participation of CSOs and activists working in this field. An online and a physical meeting were held with platform members.
Establishment of the Web Portal for Accessible Cultural Activities
A web portal was created where accessible arts and culture events, as well as venues are listed and mapped to provide information on accessible arts and culture events.
Access to Culture Platform, operating with the maxim, “We believe that equal access to arts and culture activities is a right”, consists of 17 institutions that prioritise accessibility in the events they organise or that engage in advocacy activities in the field of arts and culture accessibility. Detailed information on the platform can be found at https://www.kultureerisim.com/tr .