Description
By „National Film Festival for Blind People” project, Travelling Book Foundation aims to create the conditions that will allow the visually impaired to participate in a non-discriminate manner to the cultural life of our society so as the fundamental human rights to be respected. The main problems the visually impaired face are determined by the fact that physical, informational and communication environment is still not accessible enough for them. Because of this reason they have limited access to education and culture. The specific objectives of the projects are: to produce 8 audio described movies / films; to organize a movie festival for blind people, but also with the participation of the general public, to increase the degree of awareness and involvement of national movie industry in making the movies accessible to these people, to promote democratic values by means of an informational and awareness campaign. The target group is represented by the entire film industry, the members of the community and the visually impaired. The project’s beneficiaries are: 300 visually impaired people and 500 persons from the community.
Summary of project results
In Romania, the access to culture for visually impaired people remains an unsolved problem. To produce a change in the long run, Travelling Book Foundation organised within this project a National Film Festival for Visually Impaired and a Kino Caravan. The main objective of the “National Film Festival for Visually Impaired” project was to create a favourable framework that will enable the non-discriminatory participation in the cultural life of the visually impaired persons. The main objective was accomplished by: - organising a film festival for the visually impaired, with public participation, that included both film screenings and also workshops on how to make an audio description for movies; - increasing the awareness and involvement of the Romanian cinema film industry in the process of organising the film festival; - promoting democratic values, through an information and awareness campaign. The main outcome of the project was promotion of democratic values and fundamental human rights, through movies projection with audio description for the general public, including visually impaired. Through a mass media campaign, the promoter pointed out that motion pictures are also accessible for visually impaired people, with a minimum interest and involvement of the society. During this project, the promoter succeeded to: - make audio descriptions for 10 movies (9 art films and one documentary) and present them during the festival; - organise a Film Festival during which, for five days, they organised 10 screenings and 3 workshops; at every movie there were between 100 and 350 spectators; - organise a Kino Caravan in Cluj Napoca, Focsani, Arad, Sibiu, Baia Mare, Iasi and Braila, with the participation of visually impaired from Cluj Napoca, Focsani, Buzau, Arad, Timisoara, Sibiu, Baia Mare, Satu Mare, Iasi, Galati and Braila. The beneficiaries (visually impaired people) were involved in the project mainly as spectators. Also, at their recommendation, the promoter organized the Kino Caravan (that was an added value of this project, not included in the initial project proposal) and they also suggested the movies to be presented during this caravan. For visually impaired, the main benefit of the project was the opportunity to participate without any barriers at the cultural life, together with their family members, like any other member of the society.
Summary of bilateral results