The film industry has long neglected the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons. Upstate Films is working to make its theaters more inclusive and accessible. As a new initiative, we will be offering limited open captioned screenings at our two locations, Starr Cinema in Rhinebeck and Orpheum Theatre in Saugerties. Starting on Thursday, March 16th, select screenings each Thursday will feature open captions. Open captioned screenings will be clearly identified on our website and e-blast. Open captions, which are embedded into a film itself, offer patrons the opportunity to see dialogue and sound descriptions directly on screen. The open-captioned option has been the preference of many, who find captioning devices to be clumsy to operate.
The inclusion of open-caption screenings will help Upstate Films in achieving their mission to connect the entire Hudson Valley through transformative cinematic experiences. By offering these screenings each week, we hope to create more welcoming spaces for our friends who are D/deaf or hard of hearing, along with those learning to read or watching movies in their non-native language.
As your community-run theaters, we hope to take this step in helping to bring our stories to all.
Learn more and get tickets at upstatefilms.org
