Screenings arranged for visually-impaired viewers at HIIFF

Visually-impaired viewers enjoy films at Sanya Haitang Bay Wanda Cinema during the 3rd Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF). [Photo/hinews.cn]

The ongoing Hainan Island International Film Festival (HIIFF) has arranged a special programme of film screenings for the visually-impaired at Sanya Haitang Bay Wanda Cinema, so they are also able to enjoy films during the eight-day festival.

Mountain with Red Flowers, a Chinese classic work depicting the great changes in ecology and production methods in the mountainous areas of northern Shaanxi, was screened through narration and music at a cinema in Sanya on Dec 9.

The Guangming Cinema programme has been a fixed part of HIIFF. It is dedicated to the development of a barrier-free film industry.

"In the past, when I watched movies, I could only hear music and dialogue. Basically, I didn't know the content of the performance," said Li Shaoyun, chairman of the Sanya Association of the Blind, who lost his sight after an accident. This was his third time to watch a special film screening for the visually-impaired.

"Now I can fully understand the story of a movie, as some small details can also be described to me, making me feel as if I was there," Li added, while praising the "Guangming Cinema" programme for helping visually impaired viewers to enjoy the film festival.

"Guangming Cinema" is a public welfare project set up by Communication University of China, Beijing Gehua CATV Network, and Oriental Jiaying Media.

On Oct 15, 2019, the city of Sanya teamed up with the programme for the first time to hold a screening event on the 36th White Cane Safety Day, inviting 120 visually impaired viewers to a screening.

Since its inception in 2017, the "Guangming Cinema" has created 312 works for the visually-impaired, ensuring that they can at least enjoy two films each week, said Qin Yuming, deputy dean of the Television School of Communication University of China.

"We hope that through perseverance and hard work, we will build a cultural road for the 17 million visually-impaired people across the country, and invite them to the colorful film world so they can experience these cultural achievements," Qin added.

Qin's team will strive to create more excellent works and promote the public screenings of barrier-free movies.

In addition, Qin also plans to make domestic barrier-free movies more international by rolling out foreign-language works, with English versions coming first.

"With the opportunities brought by the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port and the HIIFF, we hope that our visually-impaired friends overseas can enjoy excellent Chinese movies," Qin said.