Accessible filmmakers. Towards a professional profile

Although many film professionals have adopted the Accessible Filmmaking (AFM) approach in their work, there is yet no clear professional profile or coherent training. What is an accessible filmmaker? How do they create accessible versions of films? What production, technical, and aesthetic challenges do they face? This article will explore some current AFM practices used by film professionals in Uruguay by means of a qualitative methodology based on fourteen semi-structured interviews with filmmakers and crew members. Results indicate that the film professionals interviewed recognize different degrees of involvement with Media Accessibility, from scant and sporadic engagement to active participation. One major obstacle they face is lack of knowledge on the specifics of accessibility. Although Media Accessibility might at first seem relatively easy to implement, it is in fact challenging to navigate in audiovisual works, all the more so if the tools are organically integrated into a film. On the basis of observation, four skills useful to an accessible filmmaker are described.