The DisABILITY Film Festival wants to contribute to making the world a better place; a world where everybody has a place and nobody is discriminated on the basis of any kind of impairment or disability; a world in which people with disabilities get equal opportunities to show their strengths.

We do this by organising movie screenings and other events that question the existing imaging around people with disabilities. Bringing people with and without disabilities together and stimulating interaction between them is another important step towards inclusion and understanding. To achieve that interaction, it is necessary to eliminate as many thresholds as possible by providing initiatives that enlarge accessibility.

The DisABILITY Film Festival is an initiative that wants to attract a diverse audience. We try to reach students (those living in Belgium as well as the international students), people with disabilities, and all those that are interested in general. This diversity makes accessibility a challenge, which results in not every movie being accessible for everyone.

The festival originated from a cooperation between Pieter Verstraete, Patrick Devlieger and Jori Decoster. We’ve come a long way since the first edition, and thanks to the support from Provincie Vlaams-Brabant, Stad Leuven, Kinepolis and ExpoEtcetera the festival was able to grow into an event that attracts around 1500 visitors each year.

This growing success is also due to the engagement of many disability organisations, working with and for people with disabilities. They are involved in creating content for and practically organising the festival. Together with these organisations and their support systems we are able to assemble an interesting program each year, that causes a stir and confronts people with their prejudices.

In 2018, a DisABILITY film festival steering committee was founded. This committee, led by Pieter Verstraete, consists of members with and without disabilities. They are responsible for the direction the festival goes in, and keep watch over the accessibility of the different initiatives.

For more information, you are more than welcome to get in touch with Pieter Verstraete (pieter.verstraete@kuleuven.be).