Access to cinema

Here you will find all you need to know about captioning and audio description in Australian cinemas. You can find out accessible cinema locations, link to accessible trailers (both audio described and captioned) and find out the latest in accessible cinema news from around the world.

Captioned cinema has been in Australia since 2001 with audio description introduced in 2009 thanks to the support of a Federal Department of Health and Ageing grant for 12 independent cinemas. This scheme, 'Helping Older Australians Enjoy the Movies: Accessible Cinema', helped drive the expansion of the accessible cinema program, including into major commercial chains.

In 2010, the Federal Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and major cinemas Hoyts, Village, Event/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle and Reading Cinemas announced the Cinema Access Implementation Plan. The Plan outlines the implementation of accessible sessions in all major cinema chain locations to the end of 2014 and works in conjunction with the cinema industry’s worldwide conversion to digital cinema.

The independent sector is currently finalising plans to move to digital cinema and this plan will incorporate an access strategy.

There are currently 41 cinemas nationally that show accessible movies on a total of 71 screens. 49 of these screens show both captions and audio description and 22 screens show just captions. These figures can change frequently and take into account both independent and major chain locations.