We have traveled to Buenos Aires!
Today we want to share our experience at Buenos Aires, where we participated in the International Deaf Film Festival FICSor, directed by Federico Sykes. It was a unique opportunity to get to know the Argentine Deaf Culture, its history, its struggles and its achievements. We also enjoyed a great variety of films created by and for deaf people, which showed us different realities and perspectives.
Miguel Ángel Font Bisier and Federico Sykes at the FICSor film festival.
A moment from the opening gala of the FICSor festival.
In addition to attending the screenings, we also had the opportunity to give two workshops on inclusive cinema in which we delved into how we incorporate sign language into our productions.
A moment from the workshop on cinema and sign language.
It was very enriching to exchange ideas and learn from each other. We were also surprised by the great reception that our workshops had, both from the deaf and hearing audiences. Especially, by the great diversity of languages that were used in the sessions: there was interpretation in Argentine, international, Brazilian sign language, deaf advisors, live subtitling… Incredible the dynamization work that was applied in all the proposals of the festival!
FICSor is a film festival with great accessibility measures.
Consultancies on inclusive cinema for the Spanish Cultural Center
But that was not all. Thanks to the support of the Spanish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, which financed our trip, we were also able to collaborate with them in creating accessible exhibitions for people with disabilities. Through the use of our manual Journey to the Heart of a Painting, we provided them with some recommendations on how to incorporate accessible elements and audio description to their artistic exhibits. We also gave them some guidelines to raise awareness among the public about the importance of cultural accessibility.
Advice on inclusive cinema at the Spanish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires.
Inclusive cinema at The Walt Disney Company
And in addition to that, we also had the opportunity to offer a workshop on inclusive cinema to The Walt Disney Company Argentina. We met with some of their executives and creatives, and introduced them to our project and our perspective on how to produce an inclusive cinema from the script of the film.
Miguel Ángel Font Bisier in the entrance of the Disney Argentina studios.
We were impressed by their interest and receptiveness, and by the projects they revealed to us that they are developing to reach more audiences and represent deaf people and other minorities more accurately.
Some of the creative and content team of Disney Argentina and Miguel Ángel Font Bisier.
In conclusion, it was a remarkable experience, which filled us with enthusiasm and motivation to continue working for inclusive cinema. We want to express our gratitude to the FICSor Festival, the Spanish Cultural Center of Buenos Aires and The Walt Disney Company Argentina for their trust and support. And also to all the people who accompanied us on this trip, both physically and virtually. We hope to return soon to this beautiful city and continue building bridges between cinema and the deaf community. Until next time!
