Animest.19 to feature films made accessible for the hearing impaired

Accessibility is part of the "Eyes and Ears" project, implemented with the support of the Orange Foundation

The 19th edition of the Animest International Animated Film Festival will include accessible films welcoming viewers with or without hearing impairments. Two feature-length films for all ages and a selection of short films for children will have Romanian descriptive subtitles (SDH) and interpretation in Romanian sign language. The organisers will soon announce the full program of inclusive film screenings and how people with disabilities can book free seats. 

Friendship, diversity, dealing with emotions, sibling relationships, respect for nature, self-confidence and perseverance are the main themes that the accessible educational short films raise for young viewers. Titles in the selection include Don't Blow It Up / Odpusť (directed by Alžběta Mačáková Mišejková, Czech Republic), My Name Is Fear (directed by Eliza Płocieniak-Alvarez, Germany) and To Be Sisters / Entre deux sœurs (directed by Anne-Sophie Gousset and Clément Céard, France) – all nominated or winners at prestigious international festivals such as ECFA / European Children's Film Association, Annecy or the Berlinale. One of the successful international new animated features to be made accessible by Animest is The Inventor (directed by Jim Capobianco and Pierre-Luc Granjon), which had its world premiere in competition at Annecy in 2023 and was nominated for the Annie Awards 2024. The story of the genius Leonardo da Vinci, in a stop-motion animated film for all ages, will be released in Romanian cinemas by YAY Films, in autumn.

"If you're the parent of a deaf child and you want to take them to the movies, there are few countries where you can do it, and unfortunately Romania is one of those many unfriendly places for the d/Deaf. If you're a teacher of deaf children and you want to use movies for educational purposes, you won't be able to find resources in Romanian. You probably haven't even considered such plans, because movies are for those who can see and hear, right? Well, no. They're for everyone. They just need to be made accessible. That's what we've been working on and continue doing this summer, in order to welcome kids in Romanian schools in the fall with movies for every need or ability. We are making films accessible for deaf people of all ages, but it is with short films dedicated to young audiences that we started. We are making the films accessible with subtitles adapted to children's comprehension and reading abilities, but also with interpretation into Romanian sign language, which is the mother tongue of many deaf people in our country. In this way, viewers have barrier-free access to the films, they can understand them more easily and enjoy them fully," said Ligia Soare, coordinator of the accessibility project.

For the 19th edition of Animest Romania, the films are made accessible as part of the "Eyes and Ears" project, implemented by the Animest Association with the support of the Orange Foundation and "The World through Colour and Sound," the largest funding program dedicated to people with sensory impairments in Romania.

The accessible educational short films will be offered free of charge during the whole school year, throughout Romania, online on the Animest platform, with Romanian descriptive subtitles and interpretation in Romanian sign language. Each title will be accompanied by educational materials for various age groups, for students aged 6-18. The accessible films will be available to all cinemas in the country wishing to organise inclusive film screenings, as well as to teachers working with hearing impaired children.

"When we communicate with deaf children, we use our hands, our face, our posture to convey concepts, knowledge and emotions through sign language. My role is to make words visible, but also feelings, too. For them, my hands draw in the air the colours, the butterflies, the sky, the wind, the names of cities and countries. My face teaches them wonder, happiness, sadness, pain, compassion, longing. My posture teaches them joy, trust, avoidance, warmth, and my soul teaches them love. With well-chosen films as support, learning becomes easier, more efficient, more dynamic and more enjoyable," said Adela Laura Șerban, special education teacher at the Secondary School for the Deaf No. 1 in Bucharest, a partner school in the accessibility project initiated by the Animest Association.

This is the first accessibility project of the Animest Association and the first initiative of a film festival in Romania to organise film screenings adapted for the d/Deaf and hearing impaired. Animest organisers aim, in the long term, to transform the festival into an inclusive one, accessible to as wide a public as possible. In addition to the accessible animations included in this year's program, the festival will include a presentation dedicated to cultural events organisers, which will summarize the most important points for making films accessible and using them for educational purposes. The festival will also see the launch of a short descriptive subtitling guide in Romanian for the accessibilization of films for deaf viewers, which will bring together general rules adapted to the needs of Romanians, with a chapter dedicated to children's films.

The initiators of the project advocate for an inclusive culture and accessible events for people with disabilities, who are permanently involved and consulted.

Culture can be a powerful catalyst of inclusion. Watch an accessible message using Romanian sign language on the Animest YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/OchiSiUrechi-Animest19.

***

The Animest Festival is a project of the Animest Association, co-financed by the MEDIA Program of the European Union and AFCN–the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.

Institutional Partners: the Romanian Cultural Institute, The French Institute and the Embassy of France in Romania, Instituto Cervantes, the Italian Cultural Institute, The Austrian Cultural

Forum, The “I.L. Caragiale” National University of Theater and Film, the Animation Festival

Network (AFN)

Main Media Partner: Radio Guerrilla

Media Partners: Radio România Cultural, Adevărul de Weekend, Zile și Nopți, Observator Cultural, Revista BIZ, Haute Culture, IQAds, Scena9, AGERPRES, Ziarul Metropolis, Revista FILM, Mindcraft Stories, LiterNet, Movie News, CineFAN, HAPP.ro, MunteanuRecomandă, AndreeaVerde, SuntPărinte.ro

Monitoring Partner: mediaTRUST