First steps in creating inclusive TV fairy tales

By Creative Industries Cluster of Vojvodina

Creating inclusive content (for children with hearing impairments) begins long before the cameras start rolling. It starts through the joint work of screenwriters, directors, actors, and sign language experts who are dedicated to even the smallest details of this process. Every great story takes its first shape thanks to the magic of spoken words and emotions, and this is exactly the foundation for building this unique series of seven puppet fairy tales, carefully crafted for the youngest viewers.
 

First steps in creating TV fairy tales: Actors breathe life into stories

On December 20, 2025, in a studio setting, dialogues were recorded for seven children’s TV episodes in Serbian, featuring actors Gordana Kamenarović, Ivana Pančić, Ivana Vukčević, Emil Kurcinak, and Igor Grex. The completed audio structure represents the moment when our heroes “found their voice.” Through these voices, which breathed life into the future puppet characters, one can best feel the richness of the language and the power of emotion embedded in the creation of inclusive content. Every word and nuance in the actors’ voices was carefully shaped so that later, in synergy with sign language, they could offer an equally powerful experience to every child. The studio work continued on January 17, when the dialogues in Hungarian were recorded with actors Emina Elor Salaï, Lívia Banka, Judit Laslo, Bence Salaï, and Róbert Osvar. The next production phase is planned for February 7, when filming of the visuals will begin, with the involvement of experts from the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing of Vojvodina, who will synchronize the puppets’ movements with sign language.

Primary goal is to create innovative media content for children aged 4 to 12. We expect this approach—where actors’ voices and sign language are fully synchronized—to become a model that enables children with hearing impairments to share the same excitement, emotion, and experience in real time with children who can hear. This is why Creative Industries Cluster of Vojvodina is simultaneously working on developing a “Production Bible,” a comprehensive handbook that will thoroughly document our methodology and enable other production teams to easily replicate this model of inclusive storytelling.
  A media expert is also involved in this project, overseeing the production process and working on developing an ethical code for creating media content for children. This sets the foundation for guaranteeing the highest professional standards and protecting the interests of the youngest viewers in future projects. Because of this vision, the project has already attracted significant interest from public broadcasters in the region. Radio and Television of Vojvodina (RTV), Radio Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHRT) and Radio Television of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (RTVFBiH) have expressed their intention to support and broadcast this inclusive format.

The project “Hands-on Stories: Diversity Narratives in Accessible Storytelling” (HANDS) is implemented by the Creative Industries Cluster of Vojvodina. The project is implemented within the “Innovation. Media. Minds: EU Support to Public Service Journalism in the Western Balkans” Program, funded by the European Union, implemented by the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with DW Akademie. The content of this text is the sole responsibility of the Creative Industries Cluster of Vojvodina and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.