THE ACCESSIBLE FILM FESTIVAL BRINGS ART LOVERS TOGETHER

Organized by Puruli Culture and Arts, hosted and supported by Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, the Accessible Films Festival opened its doors to cinema lovers with a spectacular opening ceremony. Held under the slogan "Watching Films Together is Possible," the festival brought art lovers together at the Yunus Emre Cultural Center.

Held in Eskişehir for the ninth time, this year, the festival once again attracted great interest with its approach to accessible arts. Alongside feature and short film screenings, the program also included autism-friendly screenings and special workshops for children with hearing impairments. All screenings were offered free of charge with audio description and detailed subtitling support.

The opening ceremony of the festival was attended by Deputy Mayor of Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Nurcan Alkan, Head of the Department of Social Services Selim Öztop, Festival Director Kıvanç Yalçıner, and many cinema enthusiasts. In the speeches delivered at the opening, the importance of accessible cultural and artistic initiatives was emphasized.

Festival Director Kıvanç Yalçıner stated that the Accessible Films Festival was launched in 2013 with the aim of enabling visually and hearing-impaired individuals to participate equally in the cinema experience. He noted, "Through audio description, detailed subtitling, and accessible venue practices, we aim to make cinema accessible for everyone. After Ankara, it is a pleasure to meet you again in Eskişehir."

Yalçıner also stated that throughout the festival, they would share the unifying power of cinema together through short film competition screenings, children's workshops, and special events.

Head of the Department of Social Services Selim Öztop emphasized that the festival is not only aimed at a specific group but also serves as an important awareness-raising initiative addressing the entire community. "We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Accessible Films Festival. A very special and valuable work is being carried out in Türkiye; it is of great importance that this effort is made visible and supported. "As Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, we highly value accessible cultural and artistic initiatives and continue to strive to ensure that everyone can engage with art equally. This festival is not only aimed at a specific group but also offers an awareness-raising and shared space for coexistence for the entire society," Öztop said.

As part of the festival, the "Autism-Friendly Screening" offered children a cinema experience in dim lighting and low sound levels, where they could freely move while watching the film. In addition, at the stop-motion animation workshop organized for children with hearing impairments, participants designed their own characters, created stories, and produced short films. The films produced at the end of the workshop received great applause from the audience.

The festival excitement continues today. At 2:00 p.m. on May 17, during the 3 screening Short Film Competition, film crews will also meet the audience and take part in a discussion session.