Accessible Film Festival opens in Ankara

ANKARA

Acclaimed director Reha Erdem’s ‘Singing Women’ is one of the films at the festival’s competition.

The second Ankara Accessible Film Festival opened May 21, with four days of festivities running through until May 25. 

Presenting all screenings with audio description, sign language and detailed subtitles, the festival is the first film festival in Turkey made accessible for audiences with impaired hearing and impaired vision. Audiences without impaired hearing and vision can also watch the films with headsets that are available on request at the screening halls.

The screenings are taking place at the Ulucanlar Prison Theater Hall, which was built in 1925 and restored as a museum in 2011 after being used as a prison for 81 years, as well as the Çankaya Municipality Contemporary Arts Center.

The festival is once again organizing its Competition without Barriers. Turkish films that have won awards at festivals in Turkey and overseas will compete in the event, with a jury consisting of director Tayfun Pirselimoğlu and actresses Bennu Yıldırımlar and Selen Uçer choosing films in the competition’s best film, best director and best script categories.