News

14th April 2004

Subtitling revolution in London cinemas

The Cinema is being revolutionised for thousands of deaf and hard of hearing and blind and partially sighted people in London thanks to a UK Film Council grant, following a campaign by groups representing disabled people.

In February 2004, the Film Council announced that seventy-eight cinemas in England will now be able to show subtitled and audio described screenings of the latest blockbuster and specialist films. This is in addition to the twenty-two cinemas that previously had subtitling equipment.

RNID, the largest charity representing the nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, welcomes the announcement. This will allow thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people to enjoy the latest mainstream and specialised films.

John Bowis MEP (Conservative) said: "This announcement will allow thousands of sensory impaired people in London to enjoy the world of cinema in the same way millions of hearing people do. 1,025,000 people in London have a hearing loss. Increased subtitling in cinemas could also greatly benefit many foreign language students learning English in the UK because they can both hear and read film dialogue and so improve their language skills."

Dr John Low, Chief Executive of RNID, said: "Deaf and hard of hearing people have been excluded from the enjoyment of cinema since the advent of the talkies back in the 1920's. At a time when service providers are preparing for part III of the Disability Discrimination Act which comes into affect in October 2004, the installation of this equipment greatly expands access and choice for large numbers of deaf and visually impaired people."

The following London cinemas will be equipped with subtitling and audio description equipment: Barbican Centre; Ritzy Cinema Brixton; Warner Village Cinema Croydon; Warner Village Cinema Dagenham; thefilmworks Greenwich; Warner Village Cinema Islington; Warner Village Cinema Shepherd's Bush; Odeon South Woodford; Stratford Picturehouse.

A web-based film information service, www.yourlocalcinema.com has also been developed to inform those with sensory impairments about films being screened at local cinemas in England.

Notes:

The UK Film Council's 'Cinema Access Programme' has been made possible through an allocation of £500,000 from the Arts Council of England.

NOP research, commissioned by RNID, revealed there are one million people in the UK who use TV subtitles whenever possible, and five million people use subtitles frequently.

Audio description for blind and partially sighted people is an additional narration that fits between the existing dialogue and that describes action, body language and facial expression.

Related News: 26th February 2004: RNID Conference: Technology must not exclude deaf & hard of hearing people.