More cinema screenings accessible to people with disabilities in 2027?
Even today, certain subtitled or audio-described sessions are scheduled at very restrictive times. Emmanuel Macron wants this situation to change from next year.
“No one should be forced to see a film on Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. because it would be the only subtitled and audio-described screening of the week..”
It is with this formula that Emmanuel Macron spoke about access to cinema for people with disabilities, during the National Disability Conference organized last Friday in Bobigny.
Among the various announcements made during this conference dedicated to disability and inclusion, several concern Culture. One of them specifically concerns accessible screenings offered in French theaters to spectators with sensory disabilities in particular.
The President of the Republic welcomed “the commitment of the Ministry (of Culture), the work carried out by the CNC, with associations and theater managers”before announcing his wish “to increase from 2027 the number of sessions accessible in the territory, and to make them better known”.
It remains to be seen how this ambition will translate into practice. Emmanuel Macron did not give any quantified objective, nor specified in what proportions the number of accessible sessions should increase.
The other issue concerns their visibility. The Head of State wants these sessions to be better identified and better known to the public, but has not yet detailed the means that could be implemented to improve their referencing and communication.
The terms of this measure will therefore need to be further clarified, in consultation with the Ministry of Culture, the CNC, associations and cinema operators.
