Film Event Accessibility Working Group

What Film Event Accessibility Working Group does

The Film Event Accessibility Working Group (FEAW) is a US-based nonprofit working group founded in 2021 and headquartered in Chicago, operating as a coalition of film event professionals, accessibility experts, and disability advocates. Its stated purpose is to unify and enhance accessibility practices across film festivals, screenings, and related programs through shared resources rather than software products. The organization serves film festival organizers, disabled filmmakers and industry members, and disabled audiences, with its primary segment being film festival and event organizers seeking standardized accessibility guidance.

FEAW's core offerings are a suite of free, web-distributed resources: the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard (an attendee feedback survey developed with FWD-Doc, the Film Festival Alliance, and the 1IN4 Coalition), an Accessibility Checklist tiered Basic/Intermediate/Advanced, a Vendor Database of accessibility service providers, an Accessibility Terminology glossary, an External Resources hub, a monthly Dear FEAW advice column, the annual Scorecard Impact Report, and the NOFF Case Study on captioning implementation. The underlying technology is essentially a content and survey publishing stack: a WordPress-style website, Google Forms for membership signup and survey submissions, and downloadable PDF-style documents. The 2023 Impact Report drew on 353 respondents across 75 film events worldwide.

FEAW's business model is a free, community-led membership coalition with no disclosed revenue streams, pricing, or funding rounds. Growth is driven through word-of-mouth, newsletter distribution, and industry event participation (e.g., TIFF 2024, Slamdance 2025). Member organizations include Sundance Institute, SFFilm, Full Spectrum Features, New Orleans Film Society, CAFILM, ReelAbilities Film Festival, Access:Horror, and QWOCMAP; institutional supporters include Black Public Media, Vision Maker Media, CAAM, and DOC NYC. The organization is explicitly structured as a collaborative working group rather than a commercial enterprise, with no parent company, no venture or private equity investors, and no equity ownership disclosed.

Name

Film Event Accessibility Working Group

Legal name

Film Event Accessibility Working Group

Website

https://feaw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Film Event Accessibility Working Group (FEAW) is a Chicago-based nonprofit coalition founded in 2021 that develops free toolkits, scorecards, vendor directories, and case studies to help film festivals and screen events improve accessibility for disabled attendees, filmmakers, and staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Community Participation: FEAW operates as a free membership-based working group. Organizations join to access resources, participate in scorecards, and collaborate on accessibility initiatives. No explicit revenue streams were identified.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FEAW is a nonprofit working group that develops and freely distributes accessibility resources, assessment tools, and educational content for the film festival and event industry. Its core offerings include the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard (an attendee feedback survey), an Accessibility Checklist with Basic/Intermediate/Advanced tiers, a Vendor Database of accessibility service providers, terminology and external resource guides, the Dear FEAW advice column, the annual Scorecard Impact Report, and case studies such as the NOFF Case Study.

Product overview

FEAW (Film Event Accessibility Working Group) operates as a collaborative collective offering a suite of educational resources and assessment tools rather than a traditional software product. The core offerings include the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard (a feedback survey for attendees), the Accessibility Checklist (strategic planning tool with terminology and resource addendums), Vendor Database (directory of accessibility service providers), External Resources (curated reference materials), and advisory content including the Dear FEAW advice column, Scorecard Impact Reports, and NOFF Case Study. These resources work together to help film festival and event organizers assess, plan, and improve accessibility across in-person, virtual, and hybrid film events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Event Accessibility Scorecard A standardized survey tool for film event attendees to provide feedback to organizers about accessibility experiences at film festivals and events. Developed by FWD-Doc in partnership with FEAW with support of Film Festival Alliance and in association with 1IN4 Coalition; intended for film event organizers seeking attendee-level accessibility feedback.
• Accessibility Checklist A comprehensive checklist resource to help organizations identify areas for growth in film event accessibility, sorted by event categories and tiers (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced), accompanied by Terminology and Resource Addendums. Targeted at film event organizers planning accessibility programs.
• Vendor Database An expanding directory of film accessibility service vendors covering sign language interpretation, audio description, captioning, accessibility consulting, and Braille material creation. Used by film event organizers to source accessibility service providers.
• Accessibility Terminology A glossary of accessibility-related terms providing general definitions for vocabulary found throughout the Accessibility Checklist. Intended as a reference resource for film event organizers and disability community members.
• External Resources A curated list of articles, websites, and blogs organized by accessibility category including Audio Description, Captioning, Disability Justice, Environmental Accessibility, Interpretation, Sensory Screenings, and Website Accessibility. Used by film event organizers and disability community members seeking further reading.
• Dear FEAW A monthly film accessibility advice column where the FEAW team of experts answers questions about hosting accessible film events. Public advisory content distributed via the website and newsletter.
• Scorecard Impact Report An annual report presenting aggregate data from the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard, analyzing feedback from film events worldwide to create guideposts for organizers to provide equal access. The 2023 edition revealed that 73% of disabled respondents reported inaccessibility at film events.
• NOFF Case Study A case study examining how the New Orleans Film Festival created and implemented a captioning mandate between 2021-2024, developed in collaboration with Full Spectrum Features and the New Orleans Film Society. Used by film event organizers as a model for accessibility transformation.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• FWD-DoccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFWD-Doc partnered with FEAW to co-develop the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard, a survey tool for film event attendees to provide accessibility feedback. Cassidy Dimon, FWD-Doc's Executive Director, is a FEAW member who also produced the scorecard in conjunction with the Film Festival Alliance.
• Film Festival AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm Festival Alliance partnered with FEAW and FWD-Doc to support development of the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard, bringing industry perspective and network reach to the initiative.
• 1IN4 CoalitionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner1IN4 Coalition partnered with FEAW in association with the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard development. The coalition represents a Hollywood-based group of entertainment professionals with disabilities working to improve industry accessibility.
• Full Spectrum FeaturescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFull Spectrum Features collaborated with FEAW and New Orleans Film Society on the NOFF Case Study examining captioning implementation. The organization is a FEAW member and provides accessibility services including subtitle and audio description creation.
• New Orleans Film SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Orleans Film Society collaborated with FEAW and Full Spectrum Features on the NOFF Case Study. The organization implemented a captioning mandate between 2021-2024, serving as a model for accessibility transformation in the film festival industry.
• SFFilmcoreOthersSFFilm is a member organization of FEAW, represented by Jordan Menashe. As a major Bay Area film organization, SFFilm participates in FEAW's collaborative efforts to advance film event accessibility.
• Sundance InstitutecoreOthersSundance Institute is a member organization of FEAW, with Laura Benge serving as Accessibility Manager. The institute collaborates on accessibility initiatives and shares best practices through the working group.
• ReelAbilities Film FestivalmajorOthersReelAbilities Film Festival New York, part of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, is a FEAW member organization. Isaac Zablocki serves as Director of Film Programs. The festival, the world's largest showcasing films by and about people with disabilities, contributes expertise to FEAW's accessibility mission.
• Access:HorrormajorOthersAccess:Horror is a FEAW member organization founded by Ariel Baska. The film festival and industry summit celebrating disability in horror has been recognized as one of the top 5 most accessible festivals in the world by Forbes.
• QWOCMAPmajorOthersQWOCMAP (Queer Women of Color Film Festival) is a FEAW member organization, with Kebo Drew serving as Managing Director. The organization contributes expertise on disability justice and accessibility for the International Queer Women of Color Film Festival.
• CAFILM (California Film Institute)majorOthersCalifornia Film Institute is a FEAW member organization. Kaitlyn Ryan works with CAFILM and has produced Accessibility in Exhibition Panels at the Mill Valley Film Festival.
• Black Public MediasupportingOthersBlack Public Media is listed as a FEAW supporter, contributing to the organization's mission of advancing accessibility across the film exhibition industry.
• Vision Maker MediasupportingOthersVision Maker Media is listed as a FEAW supporter, supporting the organization's accessibility initiatives and mission.
• CAAM (Center for Asian American Media)supportingOthersCAAM is listed as a FEAW supporter, contributing to the organization's mission of advancing film event accessibility.
• DOC NYCsupportingOthersDOC NYC is listed as a FEAW supporter, contributing to the organization's accessibility mission.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 1IN4 Coalition: Hollywood-based coalition of entertainment industry professionals with disabilities; partnered with FEAW on Scorecard development and shares the disability-in-film mission across production and exhibition.
• Film Festival Alliance: Industry trade association for North American film festivals; co-developed the Film Event Accessibility Scorecard with FEAW and serves as a peer working body serving the same film festival organizer audience.
• Full Spectrum Features: Chicago-based disability-led film organization providing captioning and audio description services; FEAW member and NOFF Case Study collaborator operating at the intersection of film exhibition and accessibility services.
• FWD-Doc: Organization supporting documentary filmmakers with disabilities; Cassidy Dimon co-developed the Scorecard in partnership with FEAW and operates adjacent to FEAW's accessibility mission in the documentary film space.

Broad incumbents

• ReelAbilities Film Festival: Largest US film festival showcasing films by and about people with disabilities; FEAW member organization with a global network spanning 20+ festivals, directly comparable as a disability-focused festival operator.
• SFFILM: San Francisco-based major film organization operating the San Francisco International Film Festival; FEAW member organization comparable as a large incumbent regional film organization addressing accessibility.
• Sundance Institute: Major US film festival and artist support organization; FEAW member organization whose Accessibility Manager (Laura Benge) participates in the working group, comparable as a large incumbent festival that adopts and shapes accessibility practice.

Others

• 3Play Media: Leading commercial captioning, transcription, and audio description vendor; included in FEAW's Vendor Database and comparable as the dominant commercial accessibility services vendor serving media and events.
• Center for Accessibility (Disability Rights Advocates): Disability rights legal advocacy organization that drives compliance and litigation around accessibility; comparable as an adjacent enabler whose enforcement work materially shapes demand for FEAW's resources.

Emerging players

• New Orleans Film Society: Operator of the New Orleans Film Festival; FEAW member and subject of the NOFF Case Study documenting captioning mandate implementation between 2021-2024, comparable as a mid-sized festival that has undergone accessibility transformation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/film-event-accessibility-working-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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