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: