PETALING JAYA: A group of visually-impaired people enjoyed a special treat at the cinema yesterday thanks to a special “audio description” screening of local film Eye On The Ball.

An audio description is a specialised narration that describes what’s happening on screen, such as body language, facial expressions, and landscapes, so the visually-impaired audience can better enjoy films or TV shows.

The special screening took place in TGV 1 Utama at the gala premiere of Eye On The Ball, an inspiring movie about the Malaysian national blind football team by the award-winning R.AGE team and director/producer Chen Yih Wen.

“Before this, I had to bring a sighted friend to the cinema to help explain what’s happening in the film, but their explanation would interfere with the story and make it hard to focus,” said Azril Che Ibrahim, one of the national blind footballers featured in the film.

“I hope more cinemas will include audio descriptions, so the visually-impaired community will be able to enjoy the same shows as everyone else.”

Fellow audience member Athirah Azman, who has slight visual impairment, said she would become the eyes for her friends whenever they went to watch a movie in cinema.

“Subtitles will allow the deaf to read, and with audio description the blind can enjoy the movie no matter what language it is in.

“It also helps me to know exactly what’s happening, what the movements are, who is running and in which direction,” she said.

TGV Cinemas CEO Yeoh Oon Lai said most of its cinemas were equipped with disability-friendly features in the restrooms and dedicated disability-friendly spots in every hall.

“This is not the first time that we have screened a film with audio description, but it is not common enough. We are always exploring how we can do more, and make sure that there is good access for cinemas throughout the country for people with disabilities,” he said.

Special corporate CSR screenings of Eye On The Ball (with or without audio description) can be arranged through R.AGE, the award-winning documentary journalism team behind the movie.

Each corporate hall booking through R.AGE will include a donation to the Pan-Disability Football Club, which has been training blind footballers for over a decade.

For more info about the Eye On The Ball corporate screenings, email alltherage@thestar.com.my.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/03/11/audio-description-helps-blind-enjoy-amazing-story