THE ONASSIS FOUNDATION AND THE ONASSIS CULTURAL CENTRE SUPPORT AND SPONSOR ACCESSIBILITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE 57th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Monday, 24 October 2016. In line with their mission to release the potential of Greek society, the Onassis Foundation and the Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens, create the necessary conditions through their sponsorship, so that our fellow citizens, who could not enjoy the enchanting world of cinema, can equally participate in the 57th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (3-13 November 2016).

In a society without discrimination, culture and the arts should be accessible to all.
To this end, the Onassis Foundation and the Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens, sponsorship aims at:  
•    The creation of permanent infrastructure and facilities regarding the accessibility of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
•    Making the films of the 57th Thessaloniki International Film Festival accessible to all through subtitles (closed captioning) for the deaf and hard of hearing, as well as audio description for the blind and visually impaired.
The desire for everyone’s access to the built environment, but also to the artistic work itself is not just an act of declaration. It is an existential priority of artists as well as all citizens in general.  


 
CREATING ACCESSIBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE IN TH FESTIVAL’S VENUES

For the 57th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, accessibility to such venues as Olympion Theatre, port warehouses, Box at Aristotelous Square, and the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum are improved through numerous facilities that are friendly and accessible to people with mobile impairment; these include WC and parking spaces for the disabled.
 
Specifically, ramps have been improved; box offices and WC will be accessible to people with disabilities or impaired movement.

Additionally, corridors for people with disabilities (e.g. people on wheelchairs) will be gradually created in Pier A, in order to facilitate their access to the Warehouses and the Thessaloniki Cinema Museum.
 
MAKING FILMS ACCESSIBLE IN TERMS OF CONTENT

Full accessibility also means being able to access the content of a work, in this case, films. The public will be able to enjoy at first two classic movies of Greek cinema, both of which will be fully accessible to all.
 
These are The Dragon by Nikos Koundouros, and We Only Have One Life by Giorgos Tzavellas. Both works continue to move us to this day through their sharp dramaturgy, the superb acting of their protagonists (Dinos Eliopoulos and Dimitris Horn, respectively), and their great charm.
 
These films will be screened with audio description for the blind and people with visual impairment, as well as subtitles for the deaf or hard of hearing, edited and certified by the Movement of Artists with Disabilities.
 
Furthermore, 17 Greek films will be screened with subtitles based on dialogues, thus making them accessible to the deaf or hard of hearing.

Also welcome in the auditorium are guide dogs for the blind. The Festival’s programme will also be available in Braille as well as in a large-print font. Additionally, the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the above-mentioned two screenings (with full accessibility) will include interpreters of Greek Sign Language.
 
Upon the completion of the 57th Festival, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the Onassis Cultural Centre, and the Movement of Artists with Disabilities will offer all subtitles and audio descriptions to the producers of the films in question, so that these remain accessible when they are screened next, and when they are released in DVD.

Actions of the Onassis Foundation for People with Disabilities    
Since 1975, the Onassis Foundation supports those who deal with important problems. It also enables those who wish to open their wings and move forward in life. Its long-term mission is to release the potential of Greek society, and ensure a better present and a more optimistic future for Greece.
The Onassis Foundation and the Onassis Cultural Centre continue to release potential by making culture accessible to all through a number of ways. Indicative are the following: the WC for disabled for the theatre at Frynichou Street created through the sponsorship of the Art Theatre (Theatron Technis); the long and continuous support of ELEPAP-Rehabilitation for the Disabled; the edition of C.P. Cavafy’s poems in Braille by the Cavafy Archive; and performances of the production Jonathan Livingstone Seagull for audiences with disabilities.