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
"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:
BBC
News reports:
