Welcome to Your Local Cinema - your accessible cinema resource
This website is part of a comprehensive program to provide accessible cinema in Australia. This includes the funding of equipment and promotional support for 12 independent cinemas around the country, provided by the Federal Department of Health and Ageing.
On this site you will find all that you need to know about captioning and audio description in Australian cinemas and the rest of the world. You can check session times for all of the accessible cinemas in Australia, get information about the accessible movies that are playing, link to accessible trailers (both audio described and captioned) and find out the latest in accessible cinema news.
Change to captioned cinema schedule at major chains
1 February 2010
Media Access Australia has been notified by the exhibitors that the access discs for the film Up In the Air have not arrived in Australia.
Read more: Change to captioned cinema schedule at major chains
Progress in Arizona movie access litigation
The Arizona Attorney General’s Department has sued the Harkins Theater Chain for not providing captions and audio description for its movies in contravention of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although it is likely to be another 4-6 months until the legal process is played out, early indications are that the judges in the Federal Appeals Court are moving towards requiring access to the chain.
Human Rights Commission requests further information from cinemas
8 January 2010
The Australian Human Rights Commission is currently assessing an application from Hoyts, Greater Union, Village and Reading cinemas for a temporary exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act in relation to captioning and audio description while they expand the current accessible circuit from 12 to 35 cinemas.
Read more: Human Rights Commission requests further information from cinemas
Cinema exemption reaction very mixed
10 December 2009
The consultation period for the Australian Human Rights Commission’s consideration of the cinema industry exemption application has now closed. The application is looking to provide access for Hoyts, Greater Union, Village and Reading cinemas across the country. This covers both audio description and captioning.
Parramatta recommences captioned screenings
9 December 2009
Media Access Australia has been informed that captioned sessions will recommence at Parramatta Greater Union from this Sunday onwards. Session times are advertised here.
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