Dicapta logo with the tagline - Accessible Communication Developers.

Cine con Sentido - Cinematic Access for US Latinos

  

Thanks to the June 2nd, 2018 U.S. Department of Justice ruling, and under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), devices to access audio description and caption must be provided in movie theaters nationwide. That ruling allows us to go to the movies together with our family members, friends, or anyone that relies on audio description or captioning to enjoy the experience. You only need to ask for a device to access audio description or closed captions of the film, and the devices must be provided. Despite this, there is a population that today, in the 21st century, is still left behind. Even with all the technology available and the endless possibilities, U.S. Latinos that depend on Spanish or prefer it to communicate don't have too many options to enjoy the seventh art.

 Text Cine Con Sentido between the drawings of two eyes

Movies, T.V., and in general, the media industry have not realized the full size of the growing potential market among U.S. Latinos and the demand for accessible movies in Spanish. This is why Dicapta and Canal 22 Internacional conceived Cine con Sentido.

Cine con Sentido was created to highlight the benefits of making, offering, and enjoying accessible audiovisual content in Spanish, supporting in this way the inclusion of our Latino Community.

Cine con Sentido's purpose is to:

  • contribute to the inclusion of Spanish-speaking groups with sensory disabilities in the United States,
  • let professionals in the audiovisual sector know about issues related to accessibility and its impact on the inclusion of new audiences, and
  • raise awareness about a community hitherto neglected by the Film and TV industry.

 

We started this initiative last November during the fourth edition of the Ibero-American Film Festival Miami. During the Festival, we presented several films with hidden accessibility so as not to affect the experience of the general public. Still, at the same time, we made accessibility available through All4Access technology. With this technology, the audience with sensory disabilities uses the All4Access app to access the captions, audio description, or sign language hosted in the repository of the same name. In this way, all audiences, with or without sensory disabilities, can enjoy the films in their preferred format.

Following the same concept, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles joined us and launched Cine con Sentido that now has regular screenings on the first Friday of each month. These screenings are creating a loyal audience in the area. We expect to bring Cine con Sentido to more venues around the country and make it a community event for Latino audiences with sensory disabilities.

However, we decided not to wait until we could go to venues in different areas, and we launched the Watch Parties Para Ti as the virtual format of Cine con Sentido. In this case, we are appealing to audiences who are blind or have visual disabilities by presenting the films in Spanish with open audio description. The Watch Parties Para Ti happen on the last Friday of every month. Join the Facebook Group Latinos4Access to learn about the scheduled movies.

We thank the United States Department of Education, the Ibero-American Film Festival Miami, the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Doug Roland, Mais Diferencias, and, of course, Channel 22 International, for their support to Cine con Sentido.

In addition to fully accessible projections of audiovisual content in Spanish, Cine con Sentido offers training workshops for media students and awareness workshops for the industry. We hope that the community supports us with their assistance to these events, that the consular networks throughout the country help us multiply the scope of this effort, and, of course, that the film and T.V. industry support us in offering new accessible content in Spanish for Cine con Sentido. Contact us if you would like to join us in this novel activity.

Follow our Facebook page to be informed about our upcoming screenings. We would love for you to join us when we visit your city!