ILSIR staff took part in organizing the XIII International Film Festival about the lives of people with disabilities, "Cinema Without Barriers."

From November 7 to 10, 2025, the 13th International Film Festival about the lives of people with disabilities, "Cinema Without Barriers," was held in Moscow. Organized by the Russian Society of Disabled People "Perspektiva" with the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture, the event attracted a record number of applications—over 950 filmmakers from 70 countries. The event became an important platform for discussing contemporary issues of disability inclusion. The team of the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research provided organizational support for the event: they drafted and widely distributed invitations to audiences, updated the feedback form, and, most importantly, moderated discussions with audiences after the film screenings. ILSIR research interns share their impressions of the festival.

Elizaveta Shupyatskaya, research intern at ILSIR:

I spent two days at the "Cinema Without Barriers" film festival. My role was to moderate the panel discussions after the films. I deliberately chose foreign films, which I found more challenging, to better immerse myself in the intercultural context. These included the Spanish film "Breathe," the Austrian film "Le Mans: Race Without Borders," and, for me, the most heartwarming film, "Three of Us," by Israeli director Heni Brodbecker. Each film, in its own way, addresses the issue of inclusion on different levels. For one, it's a personal story about the struggle to support a son who is rejected by the Orthodox community because of his autism spectrum disorder. For another, it's a film about a swimmer with amputated arms training for the Paralympics. And for another, it's a short film about special-needs racers from different countries at the capital of the Le Mans 24-hour circuit. These films uphold the values ​​of humanity, humaneness, and acceptance.

Amazing days filled with the most important questions about human life, joy, and barriers. The Cinema Without Borders festival is that special occasion when you want the minutes of a film to last as long as possible.

Sokerina Maria, research intern at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research:

The first experience of moderating Q&A sessions at the film festival was with films by Russian directors: "NOT_CYBORG. A Project About People" by Anastasia Polevaya, "Defeat the Silence" by Alexander Fomichev, and "Sensual Contact" by Yulia Kiseleva. The guiding idea behind all three films was to represent the lifestyles of people with disabilities in the context of the characters' activities and activism, a theme noted by viewers at all three screenings.

"NOT_CYBORG. A Project About People" is the second part of a multi-part social project starring Yana Gritsenko. Yana is a member of the Russian Paralympic sitting volleyball team, which she joined after having her leg amputated in an accident. During the Q&A session, Yana emphasized the value of community support during her rehabilitation, as well as that of her teammates and loved ones. Thanks to Yana, the conversation was both ironic and touching: immediately after the wish to finally create prosthetics that would allow her to wear high heels, we established the idea that action is more important than decision, a theme that "A Project About People" will continue to explore in future installments.

"Conquering Silence" is a documentary by hearing-impaired director and producer Alexander Fomichev. The screening features five stories, including Alexander's own, that exemplify the remarkable achievements of deaf and hard of hearing people. The film's most striking personal impact is the wide variety of unique experiences reflected in the film, including the portrayal of Valentin Terekhov, the first and only deaf priest in the country. Alexander himself, whom we met at the Q&A session, said his main goal is to demonstrate how to overcome any obstacle and how to achieve tremendous success through inner strength.

The documentary "Sensory Contact" won the festival, receiving the Special Jury Prize! The film brought together the stories of three protagonists: Alexey Trantsev and Alexey Mutin, who spoke about their experiences with bionic hand prostheses and the possibilities of artificial sensation. Olevia Kiber, who participated in a particularly warm discussion with the audience, shared her work on creating sensory perception systems for prostheses. In this conversation, we captured the importance of science for inclusion and the value of inclusion for science.

Participation in the festival left the impression of being part of something much greater than a film screening, which was evident in the audience's emotions.

Research intern at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research - Elizaveta Shupyatskaya at the film festival

The team of the Film Festival "Cinema Without Barriers"

The team of the Film Festival "Cinema Without Barriers"

Dmitry Akimochkin, Research Intern at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research:

 I moderated two Q&A sessions on November 8, the second day of the festival. I chose short film screenings—short films are considered a greatly underrated genre in cinema, although, in my opinion, making a short film is much more challenging; you need to pack all the necessary meaning into a 20-30-minute running time.

At the first Q&A, which took place with the film crew of "Lyalechka"—director Stas Tabunov and lead actress Antonina Medvedeva—the authors' personal approaches to the story were discussed. The director shared that the idea for the film came to him not from an abstract interest in the topic, but from a very concrete, almost intimate experience—through film, he wanted to understand the family story of caring for an elderly relative, and all the complexity and ambivalence of this process. This admission revealed a special dimension to the film: it was not simply a work of cinema, but an act of personal reflection, an attempt to transform pain and confusion into artistic form. Antonina Medvedeva, in turn, revealed the dramatic nature of her work on the role. For her, playing an elderly character with mental disabilities meant finding a path to emotional authenticity, avoiding parallelism and excessive sentimentality.

Next, a screening of four short films about caring for family members facing mental and physical illnesses followed. The second Q&A featured Victoria Belyakova, director of the Russian film "Hello, It's Me!", and Mohammad Ebrahim Shahbazi, director of the Iranian film "Goodbye Paris." The audience was particularly interested in how people with disabilities live and integrate into Iranian society, what barriers they overcome, and what cultural and social factors influence their situation.

I'd like to especially highlight the high level of organization of the film festival. "Cinema Without Borders" was founded on the principles of inclusivity—this applied both to the accessibility of the venue and the thematic selection of the program. Furthermore, the festival succeeded in raising issues that are often overlooked in Russian society: the lives of people with disabilities, their agency, their right to their own voice and their own history.

The team of the Film Festival "Cinema Without Barriers"

The team of the Film Festival "Cinema Without Barriers"

The team of the Film Festival "Cinema Without Barriers"

Alexander Novikov, research intern at The International Laboratory for Social Integration Research:

My first experience moderating at a film festival was an immersion into a whole new dimension. Moderating is like being a living connection between the screen, where a story has just come to life, and the audience, where it continues to resonate. A sense of responsibility and excitement mingled with the awareness of being part of something significant.

It was especially unusual to realize that the film you'd just seen on screen was the work of people just a few meters away. Presenting them to the audience, asking questions that had been brewing in your head during the screening, and capturing live, immediate reactions from the audience—it was a unique dialogue in which the line between creators and audience members was blurred. And managing the timing and technical aspects in a packed auditorium felt like a kind of "cheat code," unlocking the behind-the-scenes magic of the cinema.

The very existence of inclusive cinema and its screening on the big screen is already a significant event. Seeing such representation in our native language, with Russian subtitles for deaf audiences, is a powerful signal that inclusion in our cinema is no longer a marginal topic and is becoming a natural part of the narrative.

For me, this festival has become more than just a film screening; it's a vibrant space where the value of every person and the right to their own story take center stage. It's a rare instance where cinema becomes not just art but a direct action, transforming consciousness here and now.

Arseniy Buchatsky, research intern at the The International Laboratory for Social Integration Research and a postgraduate student at the National Research University Higher School of Economics:

For me, "Cinema Without Barriers" is a direct and valuable opportunity to apply my skills and knowledge as a social researcher to highlighting social issues and contributing to public debate. When you carefully review the films in the program before the film festival, you're overwhelmed by a sense of responsibility and involvement. The film crews and I enthusiastically discussed ideas for the discussion, and the work on the questions turned out to be both creative and responsible.

Before the moderation, I had the opportunity to see seven films whose artistic concept left a lasting impression. I don't want to single out any one film in particular—they all share a remarkable poignancy and closeness to life. This is evident in the audience's reaction, as you observe the many faces attentively following the discussion. After all, during the moderation, comments, personal stories, and even ideas for future works of art were shared—it was truly heartwarming and inspiring!

For me, "KBB" (as we called the festival at the venue) was a new and exciting experience in the creative industries and scientific volunteering. It was so large-scale and noticeable that I titled my Telegram blog post about it "Another Discourse on Human Coexistence." After moderating, I received very warm and grateful feedback from my fellow organizers. I've already been invited to participate next year, and now I plan to further develop my skills as a moderator and media manager. This is a responsible role, and the staff of our ML ISI department handled it very professionally.

I know I'll stay in touch with Kino Bez Barrierov and the Perspektiva Regional Public Organization of the Disabled. Over the past few days, I've met wonderful audience members, actors, directors, screenwriters, and camera operators. We're already thinking about doing something together that would combine creativity with social awareness.

The International Laboratory for Social Integration Research expresses its sincere gratitude to the Russian Society of Disabled People "Perspektiva" for the fruitful partnership and trust that allowed our team to contribute to the organization and implementation of this large-scale and significant project.