How much of the built environment was accessible in 1980s Britain? This government-sponsored film aimed to raise awareness about the importance of inclusive design to give disabled people independence. Ten years before the first UK disability discrimination legislation came into force, we can see a lot more needs to be done.
There are several access schemes operating in the UK which provide benefits, transparency when negotiating a trip to the cinema.
CEA Card – The CEA Card is a national card scheme developed for UK cinemas by the UK Cinema Association (UKCA). The Card enables a disabled cinema guest to receive a complimentary ticket for someone to go with them when they visit a participating cinema. The Card is also one way for cinemas to make sure they look after their disabled guests. If you require an adjustment to visit a cinema because of your disability, cinema staff should make them for you whether you have a CEA Card or not.
Nimbus Card – The Access Card translates a cardholder’s disability / impairment into symbols which highlight the barriers they face and the reasonable adjustments they might need. This then informs providers quickly and discreetly about the support needed and may gain holders access to things like concessionary ticket prices and complex reasonable adjustments without having to go into loads of personal detail. It’s all based on rights outlined in the Equality Act and providers responsibilities.
HYNT Card – Hynt is a national access scheme that works with theatres and arts centres in Wales to make sure there is a consistent offer available for visitors with an impairment or specific access requirement, and their Carers or Personal Assistants. If you need support or assistance to attend a performance at a theatre or arts centre then you may be eligible to join hynt. Each year HYNT holds a symposium for venue staff and other professionals working in the sector.
Nimbus CredAbility – CredAbility is Nimbus’ quality mark. Like the Access Card itself CredAbility was designed and developed by Nimbus; with and for disabled people. It reflects what a commitment to good practice should look like when providing services to a disabled customer.
Gigbuddies – Gigbuddies is NOT about providing free support or replacing statutory services. It’s about enabling people with learning disabilities to have people in their lives who aren’t paid to be there. Gigbuddies match people up with a volunteer who commits to attending at least one gig per month. Gigbuddies is a campaign run by charity, Stay Up Late.
Euan’s Guide – Euansguide.com is the disabled access review site where disabled people, their family, friends and carers can find and share reviews on the accessibility of venues around the UK and beyond. The site is an invaluable tool for everything from planning a day out, to picking a last-minute place for coffee or lunch. “The aim of Euan’s Guide is to empower disabled people by providing information that will give confidence and choices for getting out and about.” Founder, Euan Macdonald.
AccessAble – AccessAble is here to take the chance out of going out. To give you the accessibility information you need to work out if a place is going to be accessible for you. They’ve surveyed 10,000s of venues across the UK and Ireland, including shops, pubs, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, railway stations, hotels, colleges, universities, hospitals and more. Use AccessAble to find wheelchair friendly venues or check out disabled access and facilities.
To mark Deaf Awareness Week, we’ve put together this programme of short films for you all to enjoy, each film competed at the 25th edition of Encounters Film Festival in 2019 for the Deaf Short Award. The films feature stories of new and old relationships, life-changing revelations and big nights out featuring deaf talent in … More
Calm with Horses is a film which features Jack, a five-year-old autistic boy, and his parents, Niamh and Arm. As part of the production process, our autistic Campaigns Officer George Stanbury, was one of our staff to provide input to make Jack’s experiences as realistic and reflective of the challenges autistic people may face. Here, … More
In 2019, This Way Up took to Nottingham for the event’s sixth edition, which kicked off with opening sessions reflecting the key themes of the overall conference: Celebration, Resilience and The Future.
The conference featured more talks around inclusion than ever before, and we at Inclusive Cinema captured four of our favourite talks so those who couldn’t make the event could still get the benefit of case studies and insights shared.
The talks below are provided by the following speakers:
Rabab Ghazoul, the Founder & Director of Welsh cultural organisation platform Gentle/Radical, shared her vision of what the future of working with audiences could be. What does ‘outreach’ look like now, and what could it become?
Karena Johnson, Artistic Director and CEO, Hoxton Hall, shared her experience of re-launching Hoxton Hall, a Victorian music hall, and tackling the sometimes uncomfortable issue of diversity. She led a workshop session where delegates were invited to explore their own approach. She spoke about shifting organisational culture, bringing a team with you on a journey and how to manage expectations.
Rico Johnson-Sinclair, Director and Programmer of CineQ Birmingham discussed campaigning for queer, trans, and intersex people of colour’s stories on screen and how he reaches audiences.
Nikki Stratton, Co-Founder & Director, Deaffest looked at the best ways to market to D/deaf audiences. Catherine Downes (Co-Founder, usheru) discussed their work aiming to reach those that start the ticket-buying process but don’t complete the all-important checkout process. With tips and tricks to maximise the potential of your marketing output.
Synopsis: The legend of Hamish MacInnes began early. At 16 he climbed the Matterhorn. At 17 he built his first motor car – from scratch. He attempted Everest in 1953 with his friend Johnny Cunningham, and almost stole the peak before Hillary and Tenzing. As an explorer, expedition leader and engineer he achieved world fame. … More
Madeline’s Madeline, the third feature from American filmmaker Josephine Decker is anchored by a star-making performance from newcomer Helena Howard. She plays Madeline, a talented but mentally ill New York teenager. Studying in a prestigious acting class, she is encouraged by its ambitious, spacey director Evangeline (Molly Parker) to weave her rich interior world and troubled … More
Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore star as three women from different eras who are linked by their common yearnings and fears. Virginia Woolf (Kidman), in a suburb of London in the early 1920s, is battling insanity as she begins to write her first great novel, Mrs. Dalloway. A wife and mother in post-World … More
In 1999, teenage Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) survives a violent high-school shooting. After singing at a memorial service, she transforms into a burgeoning pop star with the help of her songwriter sister (Stacy Martin) and talent manager (Jude Law). Celeste’s meteoric rise to fame and concurrent loss of innocence dovetails with a shattering terrorist attack on … More
Deaf Awareness Week, co-ordinated by UK Council on Deafness is a campaign in which many different organisations participate, each able to promote their own work within the broad spectrum of deafness.
Many organisations collaborate and work together in a joint campaign of UK wide national and local events to raise awareness of the needs of the 1 in 6 deaf or hard of hearing people in the UK. Deaf Awareness Week aims to promote the positive aspects of deafness, promote social inclusion and raise awareness of the huge range of local organisations that support deaf people and their family and friends.
There are many ways in which cinemas and exhibitors can get involved to promote d/Deaf awareness within their organisations and for audiences. From staff learning some basic BSL signing to programming more captioned subtitled films to always adding subtitles to social media content, here are some resources to get you started.
When planning film exhibition initiatives online it is important to think about access and inclusion for everyone.
Things to think about regarding d/Deaf awareness and online film exhibition:
We would love to know about your film or cinema project at Inclusive Cinema. If you’d like to submit your own case study, please download this Inclusive screening case study template and submit it to toki[at]filmhubwales.org, so we can share your experiences, too.
