Film producers’ associations pushed back earlier this year on accessibility guidelines proposed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to make cinemas more accessible to the visually and hearing impaired. In a summary of responses by producers’ associations, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which liaised with producers on the issue at the Ministry’s request, producers’ bodies are seen opposing accessibility features such as mirror-enabled closed captioning and headphones for audio description.
In January, the I&B Ministry had issued a draft of “Guidelines of Accessibility Standards in the Public Exhibition of Feature Films in Cinema Theatres for Persons with Hearing and Visual Impairment,” and invited comments from industry and the general public. The draft was a long-delayed implementation of a part of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. While the guidelines may have well precipitated better access to cinema for visually and hearing impaired people, producers pushed back arguing that doing so would be too expensive.
The Film Federation of India, which constitutes the committee that selects the film that will represent India at the Academy Awards each year, said that making “separate versions of films for the general public and handicapped audiences incurs additional cost,” and that the draft guidelines “burden producers, especially small budget ones.”
