[Report] You Can See Even with Eyes Closed... Barrier-Free Cinema Without Audiovisual Restrictions

67.8% of People with Disabilities Spend Leisure Time Watching TV
Challenges Include Film Production Costs and Accessibility Issues

"Julie stands still in place without moving a muscle. The wind blows gently, causing Julie's dry hair to sway lightly..."

The film leaves no quiet moment, narrating every element shown on screen such as the production company logo, characters, and background. For first-time listeners, it feels unfamiliar and even uncomfortable. However, when closing their eyes and focusing on the film, the scenes begin to form one by one in their minds as if reading a novel.

The film screened at 2 p.m. on the 28th of last month at the Seoul Museum of History is the French movie Full Time (director ?ric Gravel). What is unique is that it is not a new genre but a 'barrier-free film' designed for people with visual and hearing impairments.

On the afternoon of the 28th at 2 PM, the French film "Full Time" (Director: Eric Gravel) was screened at the Seoul Museum of History. On this day, the film was shown in a "barrier-free movie" format for people with visual and hearing impairments.
[Photo by Shim Seong-a]

Barrier-free means 'without barriers' and refers to films that include audio descriptions and barrier-free subtitles so that anyone can enjoy them regardless of disabilities. The Barrier-Free Cinema at the Seoul Museum of History has been screening barrier-free films free of charge for 10 years this year.

Lee Chang-hoon (39), a broadcaster and visually impaired person who enjoys barrier-free works, explained, "Nowadays, many films have scenes where time and space shift, so if you only listen, you miss a lot." He added, "Barrier-free works describe each scene in detail, so the immersion is much higher than when watching regular films."

For Mr. Lee, barrier-free films mean more than just cultural enjoyment for people with disabilities. He emphasized, "People with disabilities can communicate with others by accessing cultural content," and "It can also serve as a channel for people without disabilities to face issues related to disability rights together."

In reality, there are many restrictions for people with disabilities to enjoy cultural activities. According to a 2022 survey of 251,277 people with disabilities by the Korea Disabled Development Institute, only 0.1% responded that they watch movies, plays, or concerts for leisure. This is starkly lower compared to watching television or using computers (67.8%). Kim, a guardian of a child with developmental disabilities (56), said, "People with developmental disabilities often make sudden noises or movements, so it is difficult to watch performances together with others," adding, "They hardly have leisure activities."

Barrier-free works are introduced to overcome these restrictions. However, many challenges remain. According to the Barrier-Free Film Committee, the production cost of one barrier-free film is about 14 million KRW. For foreign films, dubbing costs increase the total to about 31 million KRW. A committee official explained, "Due to production cost issues, there are limits to making various films, so only about 6 to 7 films can be produced annually."

Although prepared for people with disabilities, accessibility is not very good. There are only one or two barrier-free film screening venues per province nationwide. Screening dates, times, and released films are also extremely limited. In fact, the number of barrier-free films released annually is less than one-tenth of general releases. Moreover, since these are mostly group screenings or available only at some theaters, the actual audience numbers are very low.

According to data from the Korean Film Council, as of August 31 last year, the ratio of barrier-free film screenings (3,936 times) to total film screenings (25,442,673 times) at CGV, Lotte Cinema, and Megabox over the past five years was only 0.015%. This means that when a general film is screened 10,000 times, a barrier-free film is screened only 1.5 times. The National Theater of Korea has also presented barrier-free performances since 2020, but the proportion of disabled audience members is only 5-10%. A National Theater official said, "Even though we try to provide various conveniences such as transportation support and audio descriptions, it seems that just coming to the theater is a difficult process for people with disabilities."

Professor Lee Sol-ji of the Department of Social Welfare at Dongmyung University said, "In Korea, people with disabilities still find it difficult to move freely and comfortably outside because they have to ask someone for help when going out," adding, "Fundamentally, this problem must be resolved before discussions on cultural content and other issues can progress."