TravelAbility Film Festival

Celebrating the Best in Accessible Travel Storytelling

The TravelAbility Film Festival is a creative showcase dedicated to elevating the voices and visuals of accessible travel. Designed to spotlight stories that explore accessibility with originality, purpose, and vision, this event debuted at the 2025 TravelAbility Summit, October 13–15, 2025.

From thoughtful marketing campaigns to lived experiences, the festival highlights the voices reshaping how we experience and share the story of accessible travel. The first-ever TravelAbility Film Festival was a tremendous success and one of the highlights of this year’s TravelAbility Summit. We received 52 film entries from India, Ireland, England, Scotland, Lithuania, South Africa, Canada, and the United States, representing outstanding storytelling from across the globe. Fourteen finalists were selected and reviewed by a jury of industry leaders whose expertise helped shape this year’s outstanding lineup:

  • Jule Sisk, Founder, The American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival
  • Josh Loebner, Global Head of Inclusive Design, VML
  • Taylor Miller, Founder, Slamdance Film Festival
  • Monika Skerbelis, Director, Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival
  • Jennifer Casey, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Gray Television

Check out the 2025 TravelAbility Film Festival Finalist and Winners below.

 

Grand Prize Winner

1st place — GLP Films & The Oregon Coast Visitor Association: Accessible, Inclusive Travel on the Oregon Coast

The Oregon Coast is leading the way in making travel more accessible and inclusive for everyone. From wheelchair-friendly beaches to accessible trails and thoughtful design in coastal towns, this stunning region is ensuring that people of all abilities can experience its beauty. Join us as we explore the incredible work being done to create a welcoming environment for all travelers—no matter their needs.

Produced by Erika Piik and Marissa Volkman, Directed by Rob Holmes, and Videography by Matt Weatherly.

Attraction Category

1st place — Ximuwu: The First Truly Accessible Safari Lodge

Ximuwu is the world’s first truly accessible luxury safari lodge, designed from the ground up with inclusion in mind. Nestled in South Africa’s Klaserie Private Nature Reserve, it offers an exclusive, barrier-free safari experience without compromising on comfort or style. Every detail ensures that guests of all abilities can explore the wild in total ease and elegance.

Produced and Directed by Sophie Morgan, and Videography by Daniel Vaughn.

2nd place — Wetwheels: Barrier-free boating for everyone

The film showcases our fleet of fully accessible, barrier free offshore powerboats designed to deliver fun and excitement to disabled people of all ages. It is a shared experience with friends and family and everyone, including wheelchair users, has the opportunity to take the wheel and to learn seamanship under the guidance of a professional skipper. Each year, we are taking more than 10,000 disabled people, their friends and families for a Wetwheels experience at one of our eight locations around the UK.

Production and Directing by Geoff Holt, and Videography by ProCam Films

Submitted by Wetwheels Foundation.

3rd place — KultureCity: It’s More Than Just A Bag

KultureCity is so much more than just the sensory bags provided post training—it’s about creating spaces and true culture shifts of belonging. The video highlights how KultureCity’s mission goes beyond tools and provides lasting cultural change. At its heart, KultureCity is about transforming communities into places of true acceptance and inclusion for all with invisible disabilities.

Directing, production, and videography by David Sikes.

Content Creator Category

1st place — Traveleyes: Share the Adventure

This powerful short film shares the inspiring journey of blind adventurer and broadcaster, Amar Latif OBE, and how his vision for inclusive travel gave birth to Traveleyes. This unique group tour operator provides holidays which pair blind and sighted travelers together to explore the world through all the senses, creating unforgettable bonds. By sharing the adventure, travelers feel the life-changing impact of experiencing holiday destinations in a whole new way.

Production and Directing by Navdip Dhariwal, and Videography by Luke Pallet.

2nd place — THIS is Yuma

Visit Yuma is one of the USA’s best-kept secrets. Yuma, Arizona, near the border with Mexico, offers big-time benefits and small-town charm. Houston Vandergriff and Downs & Towns family were invited to visit.

Directing by Houston Vandergriff, and Production and Videography by Katie Vandergriff

3rd place — Vineet Victor, Overcoming Barriers: India and Beyond

A short video about our endeavors regarding wheelchair accessibility in India and some other countries that we have visited until now. Pushing for advocacy for accessible tourism and trying our best to help disabled travelers from our community. Also trying to raise accessibility awareness and advocacy for including us in accessible audits by the government.

Production, Directing, and Videography by Jacqueline Victor.

Destination Category

1st place — Travel Alberta: Alberta Adapts

Former Canadian junior hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki is on a mission to showcase accessible adventures in Alberta. In this first episode of Alberta Adapts, Ryan experiences the joy of adaptive fishing with local adventure provider AdaptABLE Outdoors, who offer adaptive hiking, fishing and paddling adventures for people with mobility or cognitive challenges. Alberta Adapts shows that the incredible experiences Alberta has to offer are for everyone – it just takes an open mind and a little creativity.
Produced by Briar Greenhalgh, Directed by Scott Westby, and Videography by Phil Bowen.

2nd place — VML and Tennessee Department of Tourist Development: Sound Sites

Millions of travelers experience Tennessee through breathtaking images. But for blind and visually impaired visitors — who rely on screen readers to interpret image descriptions and other parts of the online world — this experience has often been overlooked. With Sound Sites, Tennessee is changing that.

Produced by John Godsy, Directed by Anthony “chusy” Haney-Jardine, Videography by Joshua Indenbaum.

3rd place — AMLA: Under the Sun, Moon, & Stars: Accessible North Alabama with Wonders Within Reach

Jaden and his family love to travel. And they’re out to prove that having a disability doesn’t have to slow you down. From the US Space and Rocket Center, to the Cook Museum of Natural Science, and the Huntsville Botanical Garden—the Allen family had a blast during their recent visit to North Alabama.

Produced by Bethany Collins, Directed by Phil Woodal, and Videography by Jonathan Powell and Adam Vaden.