Opening ceremony 7th International Disability Film Festival Breaking Down Barriers

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Published on Wednesday, 12 November 2014 14:52

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On November 14 in Moscow an opening ceremony was held for the VII International Disability Film Festival: Breaking Down Barriers, organized by the Perspektiva Regional Society of Disabled People, with support from Mobile TeleSystems and the Moscow Department of Social Protection.

Prior to that, a press conference was held with the director of Perspektiva, Denise Roza, film director and head of the festival jury Vadim Abdrashitov, actress and audio describer Irina Bezrukova, television critic Irina Petrovskaya, television journalist Yevgeniya Voskoboynikova, director and member of the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts Andrei Osipov, directors Vyacheslav Zlatopolsky, Yevgeniya Montaña Ibañez, and Yelena Pogrebizhskaya, whose film is included in the festival. Gerard O'Dwyer, an Australian actor with Down Syndrome and the lead actor in the film The Interviewer, will also attend. Another member of the jury, Jon Alpert, arrived at the festival a little later. Mr. Alpert is an American documentary filmmaker who has won 15 Emmy awards.

During the press conference, Perspektiva director Denise Roza said, “This festival is a significant event for all of us. We received over 200 entries, and of those films, 80 were chosen. We will have guests from Australia, Ireland, Iran, France, the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, and other countries. Visiting directors will hold classes here. We have high hopes that our festival will help draw the attention of many, and that together, we can changes the lives of people living with disabilities.”

Vadim Abdrashitov, head of the festival jury, praised the films sent to the festival. “Many of the members of the jury saw most of the films. And I have to say that they are not only filled with a strength of spirit, but also very professionally done. These are cinematographic works, and they should have a life beyond this festival.”

The opening ceremony was also be attended by friends and partners of Perspektiva: Tutta Larsen, Irida Khusainova, and others. Radio host Vera Kuzmina and film and stage actor Sergei Druzyak hosted the ceremony.

Two films were shown after the opening ceremony: a short animation film by the Spanish director Miguel Gallardo, Maria’s Journey, and the film Beautiful, by Australian director Genevieve Clay.

The huge cake with the festival logo was presented for all the guests during the break. Everyone managed to get a piece of sweet part of the festival program.

The main and children's festival programs will be held November 14 to 17 at the Kosmos cinema in Moscow (109 Prospekt Mira). The children's program (November 15) and the closing ceremony (November 17 at 7 pm) will be held at the October cinema (24 Novy Arbat). Special guests for the children's program include the singer Glyuk'oZa, the actress Darya Melnikova and the actors Artur Smolyaninov and Ivan Gromov. In addition, plans are in place for Chris Schuepp, a UNICEF representative, to shoot a film about the film festival together with young people from the “Developing leadership among teens with disabilities” program.

The hosts of the festival's closing ceremony will be the actress Viktoriya Tolstoganova and the actor, producer, and director Alexei Agranovich. That ceremony will be held at the October cinema on November 17 at 7 pm.

More than 150 films from 26 countries were sent to this film festival. The official selection for the festival contains more feature films than in the past. The program also contains films addressing the issues of elderly people with disabilities for the first time. A special nomination was created for these films, and there will be a roundtable discussion on disabilities and the elderly, and how related issues are portrayed in films and the media, during the festival (November 16).

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