An enhanced movie-watching experience for persons with disabilities

Last Saturday, one cinema in SM North EDSA opened its doors earlier than usual.

At around 9 a.m., before the mall opened, students from schools such as the Philippine National School for the Blind (PNSB) and the Philippine School for the Deaf flocked to the cinema to see Martin Scorsese’s 2011 film “Hugo.”

The event, called “Special Movie Screening for the Blind and Deaf,” added two new elements to the film—subtitles and audio descriptions to benefit those who have visual and hearing problems.

How it started

Four movies, all of which had been released in 2011 and 2012, were screened in four SM cinema venues on August 16. Aside from “Hugo” in SM North, there were also “Life of Pi” in SM City Baguio, “Les Miserables” in SM Davao, and “Taken 2” in SM Iloilo.

Special narration (such as descriptions of actions, facial expressions, and gestures) were enjoyed by the blind audiences, while close-captioning or subtitles were provided for the deaf.

The event was spearheaded by SM Cares (a division of SM Foundation), in partnership with SM Cinemas, Deaf-Blind Support Philippines, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board or MTRCB, and C.A.L.L. (Center for Advocacy, Learning and Livelihood). According to a company executive, the event is also supported by AKAP Pinoy, the Philippine Blind Union, the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) and the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRD).

The special screenings started last year, when SM featured a special movie screening for the blind, deaf, and those who are hard of hearing. It was only supposed to be just an annual presentation, but it gathered enough support from the partner organization that the SM Malls decided to turn it into a nationwide quarterly screening.

Feedback from students

Set in the 1930s, “Hugo” is a magical story about Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), an orphan boy who hides in the mazes of a train station in Paris. Before his father’s death, the two of them were working on restoring an automaton. He then meets George Melies (Ben Kingsley), an ill-tempered toy shop owner who turns out to a legendary filmmaker and the inventor of the robot they’ve been trying to bring back to life.

The event still proved to be a success despite the delay and technical difficulties encountered before and during the movie.

“Yung narrator, OK naman po siya, naintindihan ko naman po,” said PNSB student Daisy Fernandez. “Tapos, yung panonood ko, alam ko yung mga nangyayari. Hindi ko na po kailangan magtanong sa mga nakakakita.”

Daisy expressed her love for movies, but said that she sometimes needs someone to explain to her in detail what is happening. “Kasi po yung wala pong narrator, lagi kong tinatanong, ‘ano yung nangyari?’”

Her favorite scene? “Yung hinahabol po si [Hugo],” she said. “At yung hindi niya ma-explain yung pagkamatay ng daddy niya.”

For PNSD student Rovick Manahan, the best scene was “Yung nasa train siya, nung pinagpilitan niyang kunin yung robot.” She and other students were accompanied by their teachers, including Ligaya Corral, who was there to interpret for her.

Both Daisy and Rovick said that they want to attend more events like this.

More shows in the future

“Hugo” is picture-heavy movie (it was also shown in 3-D in 2011), so the smaller details on screen didn’t quite make it to the audio descriptions, but generally, it looks like the kids loved it.  

This is a wonderful initiative, and I hope the organizers keep it up—hopefully not just quarterly, but a regular thing. I also hope they make this bigger, perhaps dedicating exclusive and separate cinema spaces for the blind or people with low vision, and the deaf, or people who are hard of hearing.

Around 700 people were in attendance at the SM North screening. A lot of students walked out of the cinema smiling. Some were even holding back tears, saying that the movie moved them. Like “Hugo,” events like this bring out the magic of cinema—a world where everyone can dream and imagine; a place where nobody gets left behind. — BM, GMA News