The
London-based not-for-profit service was awarded a trophy for making
the final three in the Best Arts Project category at this year’s
National Lottery Awards. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast
by the public and the winners and runners-up were revealed on a
live, star-studded BBC1 television show on Sat, 5th Sep
The
show, hosted by Nick Knowles and Myleene Klass, included the 2009
National Lottery Awards, the Saturday night lottery draw, a celebrity
quiz and live music.
Accepting
the runners-up trophy at the after show party, Dean Rhodes-Brandon,
founder of 'Your Local Cinema .com' said: "We are delighted
to have been featured in The National Lottery Awards. Lottery funding
has helped to ensure the joy of the big screen is accessible to
all. I would like to thank the thousands of people who voted for
us. We really, really appreciate the tremendous support we've had
throughout all stages of the competition".
He
continued: "I'm hoping that the TV exposure will help to
inform millions more people that the cinema is now accessible to
those with hearing or sight loss. In fact as we get older, we'll
all experience some hearing or sight loss and may appreciate services
that can help us enjoy sound & vision!"
The
National Lottery Awards recognise the difference that lottery funded
projects, both big and small, have made to local communities and
celebrate the achievements of the people behind them.
Your
Local Cinema .com was set up by a profoundly deaf teenager with
the aim to help people with hearing or sight loss to enjoy - rather
than endure - the cinema experience.
Since
2000 the company has worked with the UK film industry, technology
companies and charities representing people with hearing or sight
loss to ensure that the UK now leads the world in 'accessible' cinema.
Today most popular UK cinemas regularly screen the latest films
with subtitles & audio description (a narrated soundtrack) for
people with hearing or sight loss.
The
21 Lottery-funded projects from around the UK that reached the finals
of the Awards were all recognised on the live 90-minute glittering
gala event, and presented with their Awards and up to £2,000
by a host of celebrities and special guests.
Famous
names attending included Peter Andre, Kirsty Gallacher, Gareth Gates,
David Gest, Lisa Snowdon, 15-year old diving sensation Tom Daley,
Apprentice stars Kate Walsh and Philip Taylor, Strictly Come Dancing
stars Bruno Tonioli, Lilia Kopylova and John Sergeant, comedian
Stephen K Amos, 'King of the Jungle' Christopher Biggins, actors
Fay Ripley and Ben Richards, and musicians David Gray and The Noisettes.
For
press enquiries please contact Dean:
dean@yourlocalcinema.com
Website:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com
21
March 2009:
Your
Local Cinema .com has won the 'People's Choice Award'
at the Daily Mail Enterprising Young Brits awards.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling today presented the
annual 'Daily Mail Newspaper Enterprising Young Brits - People’s
Choice' Award to 'Your Local Cinema.com - the not-for-profit cinema
listings & information service for people with hearing or sight
problems.
Thousands
of people including readers of the Daily Mail newspaper voted for
the twenty finalists. Winner Dean Rhodes-Brandon, who founded the
service, was a finalist in the 'Teen' category and his company 'Your
Local Cinema .com' received the most votes overall. The company
runs an information service and website that exists to create awareness
of - and increase audience figures for - subtitled & audio described
cinema releases and shows for people with hearing or sight loss.
It is sponsored by the UK film industry.
The
company has worked with the UK film industry, technology companies
and charities representing people with hearing or sight problems
to ensure that the UK leads the world in 'accessible' cinema. Most
popular cinemas now have facilities to screen the latest films with
subtitles and audio description (a narrated soundtrack) for people
with hearing or sight problems.
Speaking
at the event Alistair Darling said 'I have been enormously impressed
with the talent of the winners and the finalists. They have excellent
ideas and also have the enterprise to develop those ideas. The enterprise,
imagination and determination to succeed of these young people sends
a clear message that there is a good future out there. It is all
to play for.'
The
event was hosted by the Institute of Directors, Pall Mall, London
and recognises young people who have turned their ideas into reality.
Finalists had to endure a 'Dragons Den' style pitching process and
a Q&A session from the high profile judges, including Make Your
Mark’s chief executive Harry Rich; Homeserve’s Richard
Harpin; property investor and star of Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire
Caroline Marsh; Alex Brummer, city editor of the Daily Mail and
director general of the Institute of Directors Miles Templeman.
Chairman
of the judges Harry Rich, chief executive of Make Your Mark, the
campaign behind the awards, said: 'It's great to see people making
it in these tough economic times and we hope this signals a bright
future for British business.'
Secretary
of State for Business, Lord Mandelson had this to say: 'Enterprise
and innovation are key to the UK’s future economic growth
and success. The Awards are an important opportunity to honour inspirational
young people who have demonstrated flair, determination and good
business sense in making their ideas happen. I would like to congratulate
all the nominees and wish them all the luck in their careers'.
Eighteen-year-old
winner Dean - who is profoundly deaf - founded the popular 'Your
Local Cinema .com' information service & website whilst still
at school. Today he runs the film industry-sponsored service with
the help of his family, as well as finding the time to study at
College three days a week.
On
receiving his trophy Dean said 'Winning this award will really
help to spread awareness of 'accessible' cinema. It's an especially
important one because it's voted for by the general public. It shows
that my service makes a real difference to people with hearing or
sight loss.
For
press enquiries please contact Dean:
dean@yourlocalcinema.com
Website:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com
10
September 2009:
‘Your
Local Cinema.com’ Wins The BT Home Business Award
Remote
Employment, the website for flexible and home-based jobs today announced
the winners of the Remote Worker Awards 2009 in association with
BT Business.
'Your
Local Cinema was announced as the winner of The BT Home Business
Award in a prestigious ceremony to celebrate the Remote Worker Awards
at the spectacular Cliveden House in Berkshire.
The
Remote Worker Awards recognise the achievements of people who work
from home or remotely and their employers. Remote and home working
can provide benefits not available to traditional place-of-work
employment.
Hundreds of entries were received for the awards and the judges
selected the winners based on the individuals or companies that
demonstrated how remote working had created the greatest positive
impact on their work life.
Mick Hegarty, strategy and commercial director, BT Business said:
“It is estimated that 3.5m people work from home and BT
Business research shows that 55 per cent of the UK’s employees
are working from home more often than they did before in the current
climate. These awards highlight some of the best examples of how
remote workers are helping the environment, increasing business
productivity and improving quality of life. The commitment of these
fantastic award winners coupled with technology that enables flexible
working means that even more people can now work in this way and
get more out of their working and home lives.”
Teenager
Dean Rhodes-Brandon founded 'Yourlocalcinema.com' - a listings service
for subtitled and audio-described (narrated) cinema releases and
shows, for people with hearing or sight loss. Dean is profoundly
deaf and corresponds almost entirely by email.
Award
winning website, Remote Employment, Google’s No. 1 job site
for flexible and home based jobs, launched The Remote Worker Awards
in association with BT Business to highlight how home working and
remote working benefits the British public and their working life.
Paula
Wynne, Founder of Remote Employment and organiser of the Remote
Worker Awards, said: “It has been a highly rewarding experience
to see the wide variety of talented people who embrace flexible
working and seeing just how many companies champion it. It’s
been such a pleasure finding these inventive pioneers.”
Dean said: “I am absolutely delighted that Your local
cinema .com has won the BT Home Business Award. This will help to
spread awareness of 'accessible' cinema, which makes a real difference
to people with hearing or sight loss. It also makes it clear how
a serious business can be run from home or wherever I happen to
be, and it will hopefully help to persuade our sponsors to continue
working with us!"
Along
with the honour of winning The BT Home Business Award, Your Local
Cinema .com walked away with a range of beneficial business support
products and services which includes £1,000 of BT products.
For
press enquiries please contact Dean:
dean@yourlocalcinema.com
Website:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com
And,
on a personal level, in November our founder Dean won his College's
'Student of the Year' Award!
"Have
you ever tried to lip-read a masked super hero or villain? Or an
animated rat, fish, car or robot? Without subtitles we just watch
the pictures and guess the story"
"I
have lost my sight. You think I can't enjoy the cinema? Imagine
the scariest film you know, only SCARIER!"
Click
here to read selection of quotes and reports from people with hearing
or sight loss who have discovered - or rediscovered - the joys of
cinema-going, thanks to subtitles and audio description:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/quote.html
About
cinema subtitles & audio description.
Cinema
subtitles/captions are displayed along the bottom of the cinema
screen. They include the spoken text as well as descriptions of
sounds such as 'door creaks', 'footsteps approaching', 'gunshot'
etc.
Cinema
audio description is a recorded narration which explains - in gaps
in the dialogue - what's happening on screen. It's delivered through
wireless headphones - only the wearer hears the audio description
soundtrack. One blind cinema-goer has likened the experience to
listening to a Harry Potter audio book, but with all the actors
voicing their own parts, and the addition of the film soundtrack
- in fabulous surround sound.
"It's
the accessible cinema experience: SEE the dialogue! HEAR the action!"
The
UK leads the world in ‘accessible’ cinema, for people
with hearing or sight loss. Most cinemas now have subtitle facilities,
including all digital-equipped cinemas, and more than 300 cinemas
have audio description facilities.
UK distributors regularly release titles with English language subtitles
and audio description. All but one of the top 20, and most of the
top 100 titles of last year were available.
Nationwide
there are more than 500 English language subtitled shows weekly
- and many thousands of audio described shows. (Audio description
is delivered through personal headphones and does not require separate
‘special’ shows).
Your
Local Cinema .com is a non-profit group sponsored by the UK film
industry and would not exist without the input and assistance of
the groups below:
UKFC
- The UK Film Council
CEA - Cinema Exhibitors' Association and UK cinemas
FDA - Film Distributors' Association and UK film distributors
ITFC, DTS, Dolby and more.
Please
visit our sponsors: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/sponsors.html
Interested
in part-sponsorship?
Please contact subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com
Recent
Accolades:
