Launched in Poland in 2022 at Poznań’s ZAMEK Culture Centre, the Cinema Without Barriers initiative leads the charge on ensuring equal access to film and audiovisual work. Joanna Stankiewicz serves as the leader of Cinema Without Barriers and is also the co-founder of Forum Without Barriers, a parallel event dedicated to inclusive audiovisual culture. The Forum celebrated its third edition from 24-26 February 2026 in Poznań and online, and was attended by approximately 250 participants.

Cineuropa: Can you elaborate on the origins of Cinema Without Barriers and Forum Without Barriers, and how they have co-evolved?
Joanna Stankiewicz: In 2022, we thought that we should start doing accessible screenings in our own cinema at ZAMEK – films with audio description, or SDH [subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing] subtitles, and with sign-language interpretation. From the beginning, demand was very high, but there are only two screenings per week in one cinema, in one city, in a really big country. That’s not enough.

There were also some obstacles we wanted to address. While working with distributors, many times, they didn't understand what we actually wanted and why we were asking for audio description. Even though the Polish Film Institute has required audio description and SDH subtitles since around 2018, no one knew what they were or who has the files or tracks, for instance. We started to think about our model of accessible screenings, and how to develop it and test it in other cinemas. But we also thought that we needed to organise a gathering for the film industry in Poland so that we could discuss the challenges, fears and lack of knowledge.

The first Forum was great because it was the first time I understood how distributors work. It was a crucial moment for all stakeholders in the industry, and it was obvious we needed to meet again. After the first Forum, we launched an informal scheme called the Film for All initiative, where we started to do advocacy and lobbying to change the Polish Cinematography Act. We also managed to implement a rule that producers need to not just do audio description and SDH subtitles, but they actually need to give a copy to the distributors.

After the second Forum, we started collaborating on Cinema Without Barriers with partners in four CEE countries: Slovenia, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. We felt that maybe we should start seeing the bigger picture and eventually change European regulations. It is a very good moment to think about accessibility as the future of cinema as a whole.

Accessibility is often used as a buzzword, so I think it’s important to understand what it really means here for your work.
At the beginning, we were thinking about accessibility in a very narrow way, as in something that was just for people with disabilities. We discovered that, while it can be for people with disabilities, it actually helps everybody engage in culture. There is a great model of accessible culture that has been developed by the Culture Without Barriers Foundation in Poland, and they were also shifting this definition towards five areas of accessibility: vision, hearing, movement, feeling and understanding. For example, within understanding, you can have people with intellectual disabilities but also migrants who don’t know Polish.

I think this was highly visible in this year’s programme, where we tried to show that accessibility is not just about these mythical people with disabilities; it’s about all of us. Also, because of our ageing societies, we will all soon require all of these accessibility tools. At this year’s Forum, there was a very good speech by Maja Ogrizović from Croatia’s Film for Everyone. She said that we should not say “them” – we are all in this together. This was also a very strong message for me – to avoid creating divisions in our heads.

In the European landscape, what are the most pressing issues when it comes to the conversation around accessibility?
I think we need central institutions that will take care of accessibility on both the national and the European levels. There is a lot of research and many case studies, but they are small dots on the map of Europe. There will not be any systemic change if there aren’t public institutions and decision makers involved in this process. There is the European Accessibility Act, but it doesn't cover cinema. I understand that on the European level, and also in Poland, we are still focusing on the basics, such as how to get assistance for people with disabilities. But for us, it’s always a discussion – being a part of culture is an important human right. While you're participating in culture, it’s not only about going to the cinema; it's about social behaviour among other people. It's about exchanging ideas and different points of views, and being in a community.

It seems like many of these initiatives are focused within Central and Eastern Europe. Would this be an accurate characterisation – and if so, why do you think this is the case?
We started to notice it when we started the project and we had four other Central and Eastern European countries. We found that we have the same history: a history of exclusion. This is something that differs from the Western European experience over the last few decades. On one hand, we are just starting to develop these kinds of programmes, but on the other, it's not like everything in Western European countries is done and dusted. We are coming from a different starting point, so we can provide a fresh perspective. I think that the most innovative ideas around accessibility are now based in the countries that were less visible earlier.