eOne partners with Picturehouse Cinemas and The Light to bring the upcoming movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves to d/Deaf audiences across the UK ahead of release.
After yesterday’s announcement that Sue Perkins has recorded the audio description for the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, today comes the announcement that eOne and Picturehouse Cinemas will bring the film to deaf audiences across the UK. In association with The Light, special public previews of the fantasy film, in the captioned format, will be held on Wednesday, 29th March at 37 selected cinemas.
The staff at Picturehouse Cinemas and The Light will be offered training in British sign language to help them prepare to welcome d/Deaf audiences as some of the lucky few to see the film before its official release on March 31st. We have seen the film already and are looking forward to publishing our review of the film shortly.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
To celebrate the theatrical opening of Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves in the UK, special previews of the film will take place in Picturehouse Cinemas and The Light across the country on Wednesday 29th March. The previews will be in the subtitled format allowing d/Deaf audiences access to the film earlier than would normally be possible. Picturehouse Cinemas and The Light will continue to offer captioned performances across the film’s opening weekend and throughout its run in cinemas.
Front-of-house staff across both cinema chains will be given the opportunity to participate in basic BSL training before the film is released, enabling them to give d/Deaf cinemagoers a warm welcome to the screenings. Lessons have been organized by a qualified BSL teacher through British Charity Chloe & Sophie’s Special Ears Fund [CSSEF].
All tickets for Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, including those for all captioned previews and performances, will go on sale on Monday 13th March 2023.
KEZIA WILLIAMS AND KAREN JACKSON
Kezia Williams, Managing Director at eOne said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with CSSEF, Picturehouse, and The Light to give d/Deaf cinemagoers the chance to be some of the very first audiences in the UK to see Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.
The film celebrates how it’s only a diverse group of adventurers that can overcome the many challenges thrown at them. In the same spirit, we’re excited to be playing our part in making the movie’s release in cinemas as welcoming and inclusive as possible. “
Karen Jackson from Chloe & Sophie’s Special Ears Fund [CSSEF] said “It’s 2023, we need to wake up and realize that with over 11 million d/Deaf people in the UK, cinema just hasn’t been accessible. Change needs to happen, and eOne has taken a bold step by previewing exclusively in caption format at 37 cinemas across the UK for the release of ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves’.
Changing the cinema experience for Deaf people is a huge passion of ours at CSSEF – with half of our charity team having previously worked for 30 years in the cinema industry – we are very excited for this change to be happening now. At long last, our worlds are merging together.”
LEAH BYRNE, AND KEITH PULLINGER
Leah Byrne From Picturehouse said: “Picturehouse are thrilled to be working with eOne to provide subtitled previews of Dungeons and Dragons. We are both committed to making film accessible to everyone, and to ensuring that all D&D fans have the opportunity to enjoy this epic quest on the big screen in all its glory!”
Keith Pullinger from The Light said: “This is a partnership we are delighted to be part of. It is vitally important to us that our programme of film is accessible to everyone. We leapt at the chance to preview such a huge release in a captioned format – and being able to access BSL training for staff means that we can really enhance the experience for our guests who are d/Deaf. We hope this will be the first of many such exclusive events and thank eOne for giving The Light this opportunity.”
ABOUT THE FILM
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves features an all-star cast including Chris Pine (Star Trek, Don’t Worry Darling), Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast Franchise), Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton), Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu), Sophia Lillis (It Chapters 1 and 2) and Hugh Grant (Paddington 2).
A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary role-playing game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves is released in UK & Irish cinemas on March 31, 2023. eOne is releasing the film in the UK and Ireland whilst Paramount is handling worldwide distribution.
CSSEF
Chloe’s and Sophie’s Special Ears Fund aims to ‘Brighten the lives of Deaf children’.
As a charity, our main objectives are to:
Raise Deaf Awareness.
Enhance the sound acoustics in classrooms and school halls, for deaf children in mainstream schools through specialist equipment and materials.
Provide resources and equipment to deaf children to support their emotional well-being.
THE LIGHT
Since being founded in 2007, The Light has opened 12 venues across the UK including Addlestone, Banbury, Bolton, Bradford, Cambridge, New Brighton, Sheffield, Sittingbourne, Stockport, Thetford, Walsall, and Wisbech, with Redhill due to open in 2023 and a number of other exciting developments in the pipeline.
The Light creates unique, high-quality spaces which bring friends and family together to engage in fun activities and experience exceptional cinema. Our teams are passionate, innovative, and always focused on ensuring everyone has a great time.
The Light was featured in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 businesses in 2019.
PICTUREHOUSE
At Picturehouse, we love cinemas. Nestled in the heart of their neighborhoods, each of our cinemas are distinct, full of personality, and run by welcoming and attentive staff. We don’t just screen excellent films. We provide places to eat, meet and relax, and host a busy calendar of events for everyone to explore. Our impressive cafes, bars, and restaurants cater for everyone. From burgers to superfood salads, coffees to cocktails, and a wide selection of beers and wines.
We believe cinema can change lives and broaden perspectives. Catering to a diverse and inclusive audience is part of our DNA. We know that our communities make us and we champion films made for all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will have special screenings for d/Deaf audiences on Wednesday, March 29th in selected cinemas. Check your local press for the showings.
Do you support the less abled having special showings so they can enjoy the movies too? Will you be attending one of the screenings or will be taking someone to one of them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Author
Carl Roberts is the News Editor of The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!
This is awesome!