Inclusion is a right, cinema must lead accessibility push: DEPwD official
New Delhi: Cinema must play a leading role in advancing cinema accessibility inclusion, Additional Secretary in the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Manmeet Kaur Nanda said at the opening of SIFFCY 2026 in New Delhi.
Addressing the inaugural function of the Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth, Nanda said inclusion was a matter of rights, not charity. She urged stakeholders to move beyond physical infrastructure and compliance. Instead, she called for a shift in attitudes that recognised dignity and equal participation.
Nanda said India was home to 2.68 crore persons with disabilities, as per the 2011 Census. However, she said the actual number was likely higher. She added that nearly 80 lakh children with disabilities remained among the most excluded. Many lacked access to education, public spaces, and even cinema halls.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s 2021 judgment in Vikash Kumar vs UPSC, she said reasonable accommodation was a constitutional obligation. Therefore, she said denial of support, such as extra time for children with dyslexia or access for children with autism, amounted to discrimination.
Global voices back cinema accessibility inclusion at SIFFCY
Nanda said true inclusion could not be achieved through government orders alone. Drawing from her experience as a district magistrate, she cited examples of unused ramps and locked accessible toilets. Hence, she said inclusion required a move from tolerance to acceptance and then to celebration.
She described cinema as a powerful medium to build empathy. She said films should portray persons with disabilities as complete human beings, not as objects of pity. Highlighting Little Big Dreams from Ladakh, she said inclusion became real when children created their own stories.
Meanwhile, Finland’s Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta said cinema connected cultures across borders. He reaffirmed Finland’s partnership with SIFFCY and introduced Finnish films at the festival. He also announced the screening of the Moomins to mark their 80th anniversary.
Similarly, Estonia’s Ambassador Marje Luup said SIFFCY had become a key global platform for children’s cinema. She said Estonia was participating with six short films, including works by Ukrainian refugee children. She added that such festivals strengthened people-to-people ties.
SIFFCY chairman Santanu Mishra said childhood shaped empathy and social awareness. Festival director Jitendra Mishra said the event offered young audiences a shared cultural space to engage with diverse global stories.
SIFFCY 2026 is being held from 28 January to 3 February in a hybrid format. Organised by Smile Foundation, the festival remains non-profit, non-ticketed, and fully accessible. It features over 150 films from more than 35 countries and partners with DEPwD and the European Union delegation.
