On December 3, celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we officially launched Cine con Sentido. The main objective of this initiative, conceived by Dicapta and Canal 22 Internacional, is to highlight the benefits of making, offering, and enjoying accessible audiovisual content supporting in this way the inclusion of our Latino community.

Cine con Sentido purpose is to:

• contribute to the inclusion of Spanish-speaking groups with sensory disabilities in the United States,
• let professionals in the audiovisual sector know about issues related to accessibility and its impact on the inclusion of new audiences, and
• raise awareness about a community hitherto neglected by the Film and TV industry.

Thanks to the generosity and support of different organizations such as the United States Department of Education, the Ibero-American Film Festival Miami (IAFFM), the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, and, of course, Channel 22 International, this traveling collection began its journey last November in Miami, during the fourth edition of the IAFFM. With a great reception, we presented a selection of films, by Spanish and Mexican directors, completely accessible in Spanish.

For the official launch at the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles,  the Consul General of Mexico, Marcela Celorio, was the host and had as a special guest Doug Roland, director of the Oscar-nominated film Feeling Through. Orissa Castellanos, Director of Canal 22 Internacional, Cynthia Prida, Consul for Cultural Affairs of Mexico, and Maria Victoria Diaz, President of Dicapta, presented the initiative to the media. The screening of Feeling Through and the documentary Connecting the Dots integrated all the attendees, thanks to the Spanish ASL, CC, and AD services and the English CC and AD services offered through the Access4All app.

The Consulate General of Mexico in LA announced that it is actively joining Cine con Sentido by scheduling accessible sessions at its facilities on the first Friday of each month, beginning on January 7, 2022. The following is the schedule for 2022:

• January 7 - David Alfaro Siqueiros, art and revolution.
• February 4 - Manuel Álvarez Bravo, poet of the image.
• March 4 - Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the worst of all.
• April 1 - Animated short films.
• May 6 - Caribbean Manatee.
• June 3 - A world without Toledo.
• July 1 - Frida Kahlo, between pain and pleasure.
• August 5 - Miguel Ruiz Moncada, pioneer of Mexican cinema.
• September 2 - Los Guadalupes. A secret society in Independence.
• October 7 - Maru Toledo and the women of the corn.
• November 4 - José Clemente Orozco and the men of fire.
• December 2 - María Felix, María bonita, María del alma.

We thank the Consulate for their generosity and commitment to accessibility, and Doug Roland for joining us in this new space.

In addition to fully accessible projections of audiovisual content in Spanish, Cine con Sentido offers training workshops for media students and awareness workshops for the industry. We hope to have the support of the community by attending these accessible events, of consular networks throughout the country multiplying the scope of this effort, and, of course, of the film and TV industry offering new accessible content in Spanish and thus providing Cine con Sentido.

Follow our Facebook page to be informed about our upcoming screenings. We would love for you to join us when we visit your city!