The 7th International Disability Film Festival «Breaking Down Barriers»

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Published on Saturday, 29 March 2014 00:52

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The 7th International Disability Film Festival «Breaking Down Barriers» will be held on November, 14-17, in Moscow «Kosmos» movie theatre (Prospekt Mira, 109). The hosts of the Festival, a Russian Disabled Persons' Organization Perspektiva, received more than 150 films from 25 countries. There are more than 30 of them selected for demonstration on the Festival – films form Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Serbia, Israel, Australia, Venezuela, Poland, Iran, Scotland, Netherland, Canada, Ireland and Russia. Now the jury is working on selection of short video. There are going to be feature and documentary, children’s films and social ads concerning disability issues as well as films that are made by disabled people themselves or where they actively participated.

Most of the authors, who have submitted their movies to the 7th Film Festival, participate in it for the first time. However, several of the well-known moviemakers, who had already won prizes at the Film Festival, wanted their movies to participate again. Iranian director Shakhriyar Porseidiyan won a prize during the last Festival and now his movie “A Cold Land” is participating again. British moviemaker Ray Jacobs, who has already participated in the Film Festival, returns to Moscow with his movie “Bastion.” American Film Academy-acclaimed director Alice Elliott decided to participate with her movie “Accommodation.”

The audience will be able to see feature films, documentaries, movies for children and public service announcements about disability issues, as well as pieces created by people with disabilities or in direct cooperation with them.

The best movies will be selected in the following nominations: Festival Grand Prix, Best Feature Movie, Best Short Feature Movie, Best Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best PSA.

There will also be special prizes and awards, including Audience Award.

The Festival will also feature a competition for the best movie about people with disabilities made by children. The goal of the competition is to promote communication between children with and without disabilities by allowing them to work together on a movie about disability issues.

The Steering Committee of the 7th International Disability Film Festival “Breaking Down Barriers” includes representatives of NGOs, journalists and moviemakers:

• Andrey Raikin – journalist, director, screenwriter, producer, member of the Eurasian TV and Radio Academy, Editor-in-Chief for the Information Service at “Kultura” TV Channel;
• Sergey Vanshin – Director General, Rehacomp Institute, Ph. D. in Education,  developer of the Russian audio description approach;
• Vladimir Gerchikov – director, screenwriter, producer, member of the Russian TV Academy, member of the Russian Academy of Cinema “Nika”;
• Olga Drozdova – reviewer at the Agency of Social Information;
• Galina Yevtushenko – director, screenwriter, producer, Ph. D. in Art Studies;
• Maksim Larionov – Head of the Department of Social Programs and Projects at the Directorate of Social Policy and Rehabilitation, All-Russia Society of the Deaf;
• Marina Suslova – Deputy Head, Directorate of Moscow Municipal Public Relations Committee;
• Yury Kuznetsov – President of the St. Petersburg Disability NGO “My – vmeste” (We Are Together), producer at “St. Petersburg” TV Channel;
• Ravilya Morozova – journalist, blogger, public figure. Author of the books “Prisoners of the Invisible Walls” and “Left out in Life.”
• Tamara Zolotseva – assistant to the chairperson of the All-Russia NGO “All-Russian Society of the Disabled.”
• Denise Roza – Head of the Steering Committee of the “Breaking down Barriers” Film Festival, director of “Perspektiva” and Best Buddies Russia Foundation.