How do we make Movies that Matter digitally accessible to everyone?

In my role as application manager, I keep on developing our website and database. Digital accessibility says something about how these digital products are made. Think of the use of colours and font size, but also of alternative texts for images or the possibility of using screen readers. If these elements are put together well, every visitor can use them. And that is important, because nowadays websites and apps are a part of daily life. Movies that Matter wants to offer accessible film screenings. Regardless of whether they take place in the cinema or in the online cinema. During our programmes, we want our visitors to be able to exchange opinions about human rights without barriers. But also next to that, want to be an organisation for everyone.

Approximately 4.5 million people in the Netherlands have an impairment. This can be a physical, sensory, intellectual or psychological one, but also a chronic illness. Or someone with a temporary disability such as a broken arm. For these people it can be more difficult to use our website, ticket sales system and database. This creates barriers when buying a ticket or looking up information. Through technical adjustments we can reach these people better and involve them in our programmes.

First steps towards accessible programmes

In the fall of 2023, we implemented a dark mode on the website. This provides clarity and tranquillity. Also, the contrast in dark mode is very good and therefore more accessible for many users. Our website automatically switches to the mode that the user has set on their computer. But users can choose between dark or light mode at any time.

Furthermore, we have improved information for wheelchair users and people with an auditory or visual impairment. During the last two festival editions, there were a number of films with Closed Captions (CC) and audio description (AD). Closed Captions are special subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. In addition to the conversations in a film, important sounds that can be heard are also described. We provided audio description for visually impaired visitors in collaboration with Earcatch. This involves supplementing the sound of a film with an additional soundtrack. During pauses in the dialogue, a voice describes visual elements such as the characters, facial expressions and location. We have high ambitions to further expand our programmes with these technologies.

During the 2021 and 2022 festival editions, we used an online film platform. This platform has been further developed to be able to offer CC and AD. Together with the film festivals IDFA, IFFR, NFF and Cinekid, we received a project subsidy from Cultuurloket DigitAll with which we were able to realise this. During the Movies that Matter Festival 2025, we will offer a number of films via this platform again. These are available on demand throughout the Netherlands during the festival period. And for the first time, including Closed Captions and/or Audio Description.

Digital accessibility and European law

Our website has recently been updated with accessibility in mind. As a result, our site now complies with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) which will come into effect in June 2025. The EAA is a European regulation in the field of digital accessibility. This new legislation is based on the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. These have been in force for government institutions since 2020. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have been the international standard for digital accessibility since 1999.

The guidelines explain how to design, build and maintain accessible websites and apps. And what requirements these digital products must meet. Four principles are central to the WCAG: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust.

Digital accessibility in four principles according to the WCAG: 

1. Perceivable
   Everything must be perceptible to everyone. For example, you must add an alternative text to an image. Someone who cannot see the image can still perceive it. For other users, written content is read out via a screen reader or translated into braille.
2. Operable
   All interactive elements should be accessible to everyone. For example, the navigation menu should not only be accessible with a mouse, but also with a keyboard or by voice command.
3. Understandable
   Everything must be understandable by software and people. For example, you must indicate the language of a page in the code. Assistive technology such as a screen reader can then read the text in the correct language. You must also indicate, for example, where the error is in a form if someone has filled something in incorrectly. There must be a logical structure in websites and apps.
4. Robuust
   A website or app should be usable by as many different devices and assistive technology as possible so that no one is excluded. As technologies and user devices evolve, the content should remain accessible.

In this context, our website has been adjusted on various levels. For example, the use of colours has been adjusted for better contrast and a calmer layout. Alternative texts in Dutch and English are added to images. The code of the website has been made accessible to assistive software. The website structure of, among other things, headings and paragraphs has been improved. All these adjustments allow users to access the content of our website more quickly.

 We are proud that our website now complies with the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. But we want to continue to improve. During the Movies that Matter Festival 2025, all technical updates and online programmes will be tested by a group of people living with impairments. We do this in collaboration with Stichting Accessibility and Voorall. With the results, we can then take further steps to become even more accessible.

Do you have any ideas or comments about our digital accessibility? We would like to hear what steps we can take next. Send us a mail.