Paramount Pictures UK Partners With The British Deaf Association To Bring Priority Screenings To The Deaf Community
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Carl Roberts 
Starting with Transformers One, Deaf and hard-of-hearing cinema-goers to receive VIP first, captioned access to Paramount Pictures movies in cinemas.
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In collaboration with the FDA (Film Distributors’ Association) and UKCA (UK Cinema Association). In association with the BDA (British Deaf Association), Paramount Pictures is seeking to further improve the relationship between cinema and the c. 18 million people in the UK registered as Deaf, deafened and hard of hearing.*
* Royal National Institute for Deaf People ‘Not 12 million, but 18 million: why the number of people classed as having hearing loss in the UK has increased’ RNI:D (10 June 2024) https://rnid.org.uk/2024/06/why-the-number-of-people-with-hearing-loss-has-increased/Â
The aim of the partnership is to increase the number of captioned screenings. Ensuring they are scheduled at different times throughout the week. While also raising deaf awareness among front-of-house cinema staff, including offering introductory British Sign Language (BSL) training. Training sessions are already taking place across the country with cinema staff, delivered by BDA’s experienced trainers. And Yvonne Cobb, Celebrity Ambassador for BDA. Yvonne is a TV cook and presenter who is best known for BBC One’s Morning Live.
STARTING WITH TRANSFORMERS ONE
In addition, beginning with Transformers One, starring Chris Hemsworth. Brian Tyree Henry. Scarlett Johansson. Keegan-Michael Key. Steve Buscemi. Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm, participating cinemas will be given an exclusive preview screening on October 10 with captions. A day ahead of the film’s national release. Paramount Pictures will also offer similar ‘caption only’ previews for subsequent releases; Gladiator II, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and into next year with The Smurfs Movie.
ANDY LEYSHON
Andy Leyshon, Chief Executive, FDA commented:
‘We should all be striving to improve accessibility and enhance the audience experience in cinemas, and this initiative from Paramount is a great further step forward that will hopefully lead to a much better offer in this area as we progress. We also know that there is a general increase in audiences choosing to watch captioned content either on mobile devices or at home watching TV/PVOD or SVOD content – 61 percent of 18–24-year-olds and 13 percent of 50–64-year-olds**, equating to over a quarter of the population – suggesting that captioned shows are now more likely to be accepted by general audiences, not just the deaf community.’
** You Gov ‘When watching TV shows or movies in your native language, do you generally prefer to have the subtitles on or off?’ (23 February 2023) https://yougov.co.uk/topics/entertainment/survey-results/daily/2023/02/24/9a34f/3Â
JOHN FLETCHER
John Fletcher, VP & Managing Director, Paramount Pictures UK:
‘We know that cinemas are already working to improve the experience for their deaf community, which is fantastic, but we wanted to work with our exhibitor partners to do more.’
YVONNE COBB AND JAZ MANN
Yvonne Cobb adds:
‘The deaf community wants to enjoy the cinema, wants to trust this environment, and wants to enjoy new cinema releases. All we need to do is make a few simple changes to accommodate them.’
Jaz Mann, Head of Community for BDA, who led on the initiative with Paramount:
‘It’s such a rarity for us to be first to see films, before hearing people! Congratulations to Paramount on leading by example – hopefully other distributors will follow their lead!’
PHIL CLAPP
Phil Clapp, Chief Executive, UKCA:
‘Our joint goal is to make the cinema experience even more accessible for deaf audiences, from the moment guests enter the cinema to the moment they leave, and for all cinemas to be a place that the deaf community knows it can rely on.’
IN-PERSON TRAINING
In-person training for front-of-house staff took place across the country on the following dates:
13th September – Queens Film Theatre, Belfast
16th September – Odeon Luxe Birmingham Broadway Plaza
17th September – Vue Manchester Printworks
18th September – Vue Edinburgh Omni
24th September – Showcase Bristol
25th September – The Light, Sheffield
30th September – Everyman Kings Cross
1st October – Vue West End
2nd October – Cineworld Leicester Square
Please check your local listings for the dates when these special screenings will be scheduled.
Captioned Trailer Source: Paramount Pictures UK
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
