... accessible to all
© AG Kurzfilm/Greta Markurt
Short films for everyone!
The number of accessible short films is growing steadily! More and more festivals and cinemas are offering accessible short film programs. The goal: to make short films accessible to everyone.
What does accessibility mean in short films?
An accessible short film is designed to be usable by as many people as possible. Various tools are used to achieve this:
Audio description (AD)
Audio description transforms the film into an audio film. Professional audio film writers describe locations, facial expressions, gestures, and camera work—everything that is important and not conveyed through language. The description can be heard during pauses in the film's dialogue.
Target audience: Blind and visually impaired people.
Extended subtitles for the hearing impaired (SDH)
These subtitles show not only the spoken text, but also important info on sounds or music cues – for example:
[Door slams]
[Quiet music]
This helps to understand the mood of the film even without sound.
Target audience: People with hearing impairments or hearing loss.
Inserts in German Sign Language (DGS)
For deaf people, German Sign Language is often the most important or only language. Subtitles are not always sufficient here. The ideal solution is a combination of subtitles and DGS inserts: in a small window (usually at the bottom right), a person translates the film into sign language.
Target audience: Deaf people and sign language users.
Good to know
As a rule, accessible short film programs are equipped with audio description as well as extended subtitles for the hearing impaired. For financial reasons, inserts in sign language are less common.
Where can I find accessible short films?
Accessible short film programs are an integral part of many short film festivals – for example, at the Filmfest Dresden or the Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen. In addition, there are festivals such as KLAPPE AUF! in Hamburg, which is completely accessible.
Every year, KURZFILMTAG also offers accessible film programs (web page in German) that can be shown in cinemas and cultural venues throughout Germany during the week around December 21. The dates and venues are listed on the website.
In addition, AG Kurzfilm, in cooperation with the Kurzfilm Agentur Hamburg and Agnes Nuber, is conducting a pilot project in northern Germany: cinemas are being familiarized with the audio description app adOHRi in order to enable greater participation. A list of cinemas where adOHRi is used, as well as further information on how to use and operate the app, can be found here.
The number of accessible short films is growing steadily! More and more festivals and cinemas are offering accessible short film programs. The goal: to make short films accessible to everyone.
What does accessibility mean in short films?
An accessible short film is designed to be usable by as many people as possible. Various tools are used to achieve this:
Audio description (AD)
Audio description transforms the film into an audio film. Professional audio film writers describe locations, facial expressions, gestures, and camera work—everything that is important and not conveyed through language. The description can be heard during pauses in the film's dialogue.
Target audience: Blind and visually impaired people.
Extended subtitles for the hearing impaired (SDH)
These subtitles show not only the spoken text, but also important info on sounds or music cues – for example:
[Door slams]
[Quiet music]
This helps to understand the mood of the film even without sound.
Target audience: People with hearing impairments or hearing loss.
Inserts in German Sign Language (DGS)
For deaf people, German Sign Language is often the most important or only language. Subtitles are not always sufficient here. The ideal solution is a combination of subtitles and DGS inserts: in a small window (usually at the bottom right), a person translates the film into sign language.
Target audience: Deaf people and sign language users.
Good to know
As a rule, accessible short film programs are equipped with audio description as well as extended subtitles for the hearing impaired. For financial reasons, inserts in sign language are less common.
Where can I find accessible short films?
Accessible short film programs are an integral part of many short film festivals – for example, at the Filmfest Dresden or the Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen. In addition, there are festivals such as KLAPPE AUF! in Hamburg, which is completely accessible.
Every year, KURZFILMTAG also offers accessible film programs (web page in German) that can be shown in cinemas and cultural venues throughout Germany during the week around December 21. The dates and venues are listed on the website.
In addition, AG Kurzfilm, in cooperation with the Kurzfilm Agentur Hamburg and Agnes Nuber, is conducting a pilot project in northern Germany: cinemas are being familiarized with the audio description app adOHRi in order to enable greater participation. A list of cinemas where adOHRi is used, as well as further information on how to use and operate the app, can be found here.