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Caption Movies Now
August 30, 2005
Elmer G. Wiens
Egwald Web Services Ltd.
204-5555 Balsam Street
Vancouver B.C.
V6M 4B5
Dear Editor
Deaf and hard of hearing people are discriminated against when they attend a
theatre to watch a movie. While a few Canadian theatres offer limited
captioning services, most theatres do not. In all of Ontario for example,
18 theatres offer rear-view (closed captioning), whereby the movies
subtitles are shown on a small panel inserted into the cup holder at a
person's seat. However, these theatres provide their captioning service at
only a limited number of dates and times.
The Captioning Movies Now Coalition (CMNC) demands that all movies be
distributed, as of the date of release, with captions that meet professional
standards of readability and accuracy. Through its website,
www.captionmoviesnow.ca,
CMNC intends to support the deaf, deafened and hard
of hearing individuals in Canada to obtain equitable access to movies shown
in theatres in their own neighbourhood, including first-run movie theatres.
At the present time, three deaf / hard of hearing people, Scott Simser, Gary
Malkowski, and Nancy Barker, have lodged human rights complaints at the
Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario against Famous Players, Cineplex Galaxy,
AMC Entertainment International Inc., Alliance Atlantis Cinemas, and Rainbow
Centre Cinemas Inc., Universal Studios Canada Inc. and Paramount Pictures
Canada Distribution Inc. The first five own movie theatres, while the last
two distribute movies.
On September 8 and 9, 2005 the parties will attend mediation supervised by
former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Peter Cory. Should mediation
fail, the parties will head back to the Human Rights Tribunal for a final
decision on this matter. The deaf / hard of hearing complainants are
represented by Mary Cornish and her team at the law firm, Cavalluzzo Hayes
Shilton McIntyre & Cornish.
CMNC welcomes everyone to visit our website,
www.captionmoviesnow.ca, to
obtain background information on the issue of captioning movies at theatres
in Canada. Please join us and help make our vision of having all movies
distributed with captioning a reality. This is a vital and necessary basic
requirement, to ensure deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing people are able
to access and take part in enjoying movies. Help us obtain 100 per cent
quality captioning on all movies at movie theatres everywhere in Canada .
Sincerely
Elmer G. Wiens
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