ZAMEK Culture Centre

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This presentation looks at how schools may contribute to accessible and inclusive film education. It focuses on the cooperation between schools and cinemas as vital partners in the educational process, as well as on the needs and opportunities of blind students as fully-fledged participants in film culture.

The speakers will discuss blind viewers in the context of film education and explain the role that teachers may play, being the first guides of blind children in the world of film. The presentation draws on practical experience of working with film in school classes, showing specific methods, tools and educational solutions.

This will be followed by an overview of good practices formulated in everyday educational work, so as to demonstrate how blind children can develop their film reception skills, build film awareness and actively participate in audiovisual culture.

FilmON Festival stands for over ten years of experience in using cinema to enable film therapy and integration for persons with intellectual disabilities. It is a space where cinema is no longer just a form of presentation but becomes an avenue to express emotions, build relationships and tell one’s own stories.

In my presentation, I will talk about FilmON focusing on the practical use of film: whether in active film therapy, film therapy workshops, or through screenings of competition pictures before a wider audience and a professional jury, which influence the way participants perceive themselves and are perceived by society. The experience of the FilmON Festival shows that film can be a genuine tool for social change: it can nurture empathy, break down communication barriers and create culture without exclusion.

This presentation shares a participatory educational approach that combines creativity, hands-on practice, and the language of animated film, offering D/deaf and neurodivergent children meaningful opportunities to express their emotions through cinema. It presents the methods, the challenges and outcomes of a national project in which children with various (dis)abilities were supported in becoming active creators of audiovisual content, moving beyond their role as film spectators to become authors of their own short animated works. Based on an inclusive education project using accessibilised film developed and implemented in Romania in 2024 by Animest, the association that organises the Animest International Animation Film Festival.

This presentation will showcase Alert Little Eyes, a unique project by the Animated Film Studio in Bielsko-Biała, a series designed from the outset as a safe, accessible and inclusive animation for the youngest audiences.

The series, intended for children aged 3–5, uses well-thought-out graphic, narrative and sound solutions that are accessible to both children with visual impairments and young viewers without disabilities. Thanks to its contrast-based style, simplified form and peaceful pace, Alert Little Eyes offer a viewing experience that may be shared by children with different developmental needs.

The project demonstrates that accessibility in film can be designed universally—as a value that enhances the quality and safety of communication for all audiences. During the presentation, the authors will share their conclusions from the production process and research conducted in collaboration with experts.

Graphic. On a grey background, right in the centre, there is a photograph showing the audience in the Cinema Room during a meeting. One member of the audience is standing with a microphone in their hands, asking the guests a question. Above the photograph is the logo of Forum Without Barriers and a caption which reads: Presentations. Below is the title of the event: Growing Up in Culture. Accessible Film Education.