Mobilizing and Raising Awareness with Disability Film Festivals - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mobilizing and Raising Awareness with Disability Film Festivals

Denise Roza Perspektiva

The Breaking Down Barriers International Disability Film Festival: A Celebration of the Lives of People with Disabilities!

Perspektiva

Russian cross-disability NGO committed to improving the quality of life of PWDS

Main Activities

• Promoting and developing

inclusive schools

• Creating mainstream employment
• pportunities
• Youth leadership programs
• Raising awareness of disability

issues

• Disability rights and advocacy
• Promoting access to sports and

recreation

Situation for PWDs in Russia

• Over 14 million PWDs in Russia;
• Majority of people are still isolated in their homes;
• The majority of PWDs study at home or in segregated

schools, don’t work and have little or no social life;

• The general public still knows very little about issues that

PWDs face;

• PWDs face daily discrimination;
• PWDs lack access to public places, schools, services,

etc.

History of Our Festival

• There was limited and very stereotypical coverage of

disability issues;

• Media coverage appeared only on December 3rd;
• PWDs were invisible; there was no coverage of the

Paralympic Games;

• Disability was shameful, taboo.

Why a Disability Film Festival?

• We used disability films at

trainings

• We realized that films were

a powerful medium for changing attitudes

• Films empowered and

inspired PWDs and portrayed role models

• We learned about other

festivals

• Local media and NGOs

pledged their support

• It would give us the
• pportunity to collect films

from all over the world

Launched First festival

in 2002 in Moscow; Every two years; Features a wide range

• f films about people

with disabilities.

Festival Goals

Raise awareness about disability issues and demonstrate the rich potential of PWDs and their diverse interests and abilities; Provide new ideas and inspiration for making positive change and breaking down barriers that PWDs in Russia face to be fully included in the community; Empower people with disabilities to be active, independent, confident in their abilities.

Additional festival goals

Encourage film makers in

Russia to produce more, better and more in depth films on disability and with the participation of PWDs; Create a video library for advocacy and public education in Russia.

Festival Principles

• Convey positive and non stereotypical

images of PWDs;

• PWDs are on the steering / selection committee

and in the festival jury;

• Festival should be accessible for all;
• Involve PWDs and family members in all

activities;

• Film directors are encouraged to attend the

festival with their main characters ;

• Disability or parent NGOs run our regional

festivals.

Festival Films

Animation, documentary, feature, short and full

length, comedy, love stories, children’s films, films about children with disabilities, public service announcements, etc.

2004 winners

Grand Prix 2004 King Gimp (USA) Harvey Krumpet (Australia) Like a Butterfly (Poland)

2006 Festival Winners

Tabu (Hungary) Killer Cure, UK AXIS dance (USA)

A children’s program, films about children, films about youth and films made for children!

Sesame Street Tofik Shakhverdiev, About Love, Director Shelly Berry, Wild on Wheels, Soutb Africa, producer

My Four Children (Israel) Shameless (Canada) Best small feature: Miracle (USA) Hanni with her husband from “How Dare You?” (Israel) Best film about Love.

2008

The World of Ingenious People (Russia) Grand Prix - Mine (Iran) My Little Brother From The Moon (France) - children’s favorite Multiple (Scotland) The Boy Inside (Canada)

More films …

Whole – The Trinity Of Being (South Africa) A Town Of Blind People (Russia) The City of Lights (USA) Abnormally Funny People (UK) Murderball (USA)

Organize Discussion

• f Films

Access to our Festival, including films: All films are translated into Russian, sub-titled / captioned Audio Description is provided Venue is accessible

Our New Brand

Celebrate diversity of our films, their main characters and our audience; Our festival has an impact and transforms its viewers and motivates them to make changes. Our new logo represents diversity and our striving for equality.

Festival Jury

Sergey Miroshnichenko – well known documentary film maker Sergey Govorukhin, documentary film maker Vladimir Menshov, director, actor

Children’s Program

screenings, discussions, games, performances.

Thousands of children have attended our festival

Festival Opening & Awards Ceremony

Festival prize since 2004

Closing Ceremony

Festival Closing Ceremony

5th Festival prize

Advertising our Festival

Festival VI at Movie Theater in Center of Moscow

Warm Festival Atmosphere

Some Festival statistics

• Have screened more

than 300 films and received more than 1200.

• More than 10,000

viewers in Moscow and 40,000 in 20 cities nation-wide

• More than 200

guests have presented their films Films have been shown from approx. 40 countries, including Iran, France, Australia, Israel, USA, UK, Canada, India, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Georgia, Armenia, Japan, Sweden, Finland, Norway, etc

Festival supporters and sponsors: government, business,

foundations, hotels, media, embassies, UN agencies

Festival Echo

Mobilizing the Community

• Involve hundreds of

volunteers

• Get journalists

involved

• Secure support from

film makers, actors

• We get students

involved

• Our steering

committee involves disability leaders, journalists, film makers, NGO leaders, etc

Our Recipe for a Successful Festival

Key ingredients

• Involve volunteers
• Include a wide variety
• f films
• PWDs play a key role
• Involve other NGOs
• Good advertising
• Involve actors and
• ther public figures
• Create a warm,

welcoming atmosphere for all

• Involve members of

the film industry

• Invite lots of film

directors and their main characters;

• Lead discussions

after film screenings