Accessible Cinema: Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival in partnership with Accessible Arts have revealed an enticing and moving Accessible Cinema program as part of the upcoming festival next month.
The Accessible Cinema festival program has two goals. The first is providing access and making films more accessible for people with a disability. This includes initiatives such as hearing loops, Auslan interpretations, wheelchair access, audio descriptions and closed captioning. In addition, the Festival wanted to take it one step further and offer a strand in the program that screened films made by or about people with disability.
Working with Accessible Arts, Sydney Film Festival is thrilled to be screening a powerful program of films about people with disability, for all film-goers.
Highlights include:
- Autism Every Day: moving film about the life of eight families with children who have Autism
- Blindsight: the awe-inspiring journey of blind Tibetan teens who climb Mount Everest. Hear and Now: winner of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Documentary, follows a couple's decision to undergo cochlear implant surgery after 65 years. Their journey is documented by their filmmaker daughter
- Braindamajd'd … Take II: follows filmmaker Paul Nadler's amazing take on Traumatic Brain Injury
Sancha Donald, CEO Accessible Arts comments:
"It is great to see that the Sydney Film Festival is taking this cooperation one step further and screening films that challenge community perceptions and stereotypes of people with disability. It is also a great way to showcase the ability and achievements of people with disability."
Some sessions will be audio-described or close captioned, while introductions and Q&As will also be Auslan interpreted.
The Sydney Film Festival runs from 8-24 June 2007, taking place across the city at the State Theatre, GU George Street Cinemas, Metro Theatre and Dendy Opera Quays. Tickets and FlexiPasses are on sale from Thursday 10 May, and are available from Ticketmaster.
For further information and access details on this year's program, as well as up to the minute festival news and to select films for online booking, visit the Sydney Film Festival website and go the Accessible Cinema page under 'Program'.
Download Accessible Cinema Media Release (doc 83 kb)
Accessible Arts acknowledges the support of The Other Film Festival and Access Arts Victoria in assisting with the disability strand of this project.
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