Accessing the City

DOCUMENTARY FILM | IN PRODUCTION

Through immersive audio and visual experiences, Accessing the City provides an unprecedented first-person perspective into how persons with disabilities experience cities on a daily basis, and critically examines what is needed to improve urban accessibility. 

Accessing the City aims to inspire creative solutions to urban accessibility challenges, and to motivate systemic change in urban planning and policy-making. 

UPDATES

Early Production Trailer

As we near the end of principle photography on Accessing the City, we want to start off 2023 by sharing an Early Production Trailer that gives a small glimpse into what we have planned for this fantastic project.

Thanks to everyone who participated in filming!

Massey Dialogues Event

Urban Fabric Media’s Igor Samardzic joins a panel discussion introducing Urban Fabric’s upcoming project: Accessing the City – set to begin principle photography in Q3/Q4 2022.

The Massey College panel focused on accessibility, advocacy, and how the arts and films can help us better understand the lives and experiences of individuals with disabilities.

Production Team

Igor Samardzic
Co-Producer and Documentarian

Igor is a disabled urban planner and the driving force behind Urban Fabric Media, a social enterprise that produces engaging multimedia content on critical urban issues. He has an extensive background in accessibility, public space planning and non-profit leadership. Igor is also a featured contributor to Spacing, with his latest article titled “Planning Cities for People with Disabilities”.

Sean Grant
Co-Producer and Researcher

Sean is an urban planner and land economist who was born with a hearing disability. He believes that documentary films are an effective medium for increasing awareness of critical urban challenges, encouraging discussion, and inspiring innovative solutions. A graduate of Acadia University and the University of Toronto, Sean has worked across Canada in urban planning, local economic development, and finance.

Bryan Belanger-Diaz
Director and Associate Producer

Bryan is an award winning Director, Producer and Writer, who has worked on projects in Canada, Mexico, the US, India and the Bahamas. Bryan began in television (Leafs TV, Sun TV) and has since directed films, documentaries, music videos, commercials, and educational content. Founder and Head Creative at Shattered Window Productions, his work has been shown at Harbour Front NextSteps and ITFF.

Appearing

Our team has captured first-hand perspectives of the urban accessibility challenges faced by people with disabilities, and have interviewed leading experts and advocates to hear how they believe we can make Canada’s cities inclusive.

Below are some of the subjects and interviewees who will appear in Accessing the City:

Mazin Aribi

Mazin Aribi is a dedicated accessibility and inclusion expert. He has been advocating and advising on various accessibility related projects for over 20 years.

Tina Feng

Tina is a disability advocate who is involed in numerous accessibility initiatives and projects. She currently sits on the Prohara Advisory Committee.

Minette Samaroo

Minette is the President of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians and has previously worked with the City of Toronto and other organisations to improve public accessibility.

Liv Mendelsohn, MA, MEd

Liv is the executive director of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence. Over the course of her career, Liv has founded and led several organizations in the disability and caregiving space.

Partners