Audiovision without Barriers III: Blind and deaf in cinema – are we making progress (?) 

Guests: Stanislav Sokol (representative of visually impaired audiences, The Slovak Blind and Partially Sighted Union), Michal Hefty (representative of hearing impaired audiences, Myslím – centrum kultúry Nepočujúcich), Oľga Davalová (expert from the media, audiovisual and copyright section of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic), Gabriele Uzzo (inclusion and accessibility expert, Italy), hosted by Emília Perez (accessibility expert, Department of Translation Studies, Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra) 

Talking about accessibility and inclusivity in the film world is „in“ today, but we want to talk in concrete terms! That is why we are offering festival attendees the panel discussion Audiovision without Barriers, in which we will try to answer a simple question: Are we making a progress? 

The already third year of inclusivity at the One World prompts us to look back on the Slovak path towards accessibility of film and film festivals and ask whether we have made any headway. Does opening festivals dispel the good old notions of it can’t be done, we don’t know how, we don’t have the means? Have European legislation and cultural sector initiatives had an impact here? Are our cinemas more accessible to visually and hearing impaired audiences? If not, what obstacles do we face and how can we overcome them together? Is it even worth it? What does inclusivity truly bring to film festivals, communities, and film itself? 

The third year Audiovision without Barriers invites all those who believe that inclusivity and accessibility have a place in the film world and even those who are sceptical about the idea to join in the debate. Join us and discuss the possibilities, strategies, and potential of inclusive design of (not only) film festivals. And let us progress together. 

The discussion will take place 6.11., 18:00 in Slovak National Gallery.

The discussion will be interpreted for the hearing-impaired audience and also from Slovak to English.

The discussion panel is co-organized by the Department of Translation Studies, Faculty of Arts, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia, and is an output of the project VEGA 2/0092/23 VEGA 2/0092/23 Translation and Translating as a Part of the Slovak Cultural Space History and Present.