Bicol Daily News | March 22, 2025 | 17:02

LEGAZPI CITY — Visually impaired groups appealed to the government to support production of movies tailored for individuals with visual disabilities, following the screening of first Filipino film with an audio description in a cinema at a mall here.

Jose Rañola, 64, chairman of the Philippine Blind Union, an organization of the blind and partially sighted community in the country, said there should be a legislation requiring the production and screening of movies in cinemas with audio descriptions and audio tracks or transcripts that provide narration of onscreen movement or visuals.

Fifteen years after losing his sight due to an eye disease, he was able to experience and visualize stories again when he watched the audio-described Firefly movie at the ‘Movies for the Blind’ event at SM City Legazpi in Albay on Saturday.

“I only discovered online movies with audio descriptions last year but watching them in a cinema with your family is more enjoyable because you can understand what’s happening in the scenes, especially during the silent parts,” he said.

The audio-described film, which tells the story of a boy’s journey to find a magical island of fireflies, and the winner of Best Picture at the Metro Manila Film Festival 2023, was simultaneously screened in Davao and Calamba, Laguna.

Additional narration was added to the movie to describe transitions, movements, gestures, and even the settings of the scenes.

Market for ‘blind viewers’
Rañola said there is a market for cinema viewers from more than two million visually impaired community, as some of them are also working and have the capacity to contribute to the field of arts.

Ronnel Del Rio, project convenor of Audio-Descriptive Awareness Movement, said this was the first movie with audio description screened in cinema for free for visually impaired people.

“This movie is not only for the blind and visually impaired; it is also suitable for the elderly and others who have difficulty seeing and prefer to listen rather than look. This is one of our legitimate human rights,” del Rio said.

He said this is also their way of urging the government to invest in these kinds of films, which will also benefit individuals with difficulties, similar to initiatives in Vietnam, Mongolia, Thailand, and Korea.

‘Light in the darkness’

Thomas Jefferson Togores, 12, from Legazpi City, said that after joining the event, he was able to recall all the cartoon series he used to watch as a kid.
“Sometimes I feel sad because I can’t see anything, but this movie made me feel like a kid again. [I learned that] in the middle of the darkness, there is a light that guides you toward what you desire,’ said Togores, who lost his sight due to a medical condition when he was four years old.

His mother, Josefina, who accompanied him, can’t help but cry when she noticed her son smiling and enjoying the movie inside the cinema.

“Back then, I doubted how a blind person could truly watch a movie. I am very thankful that something like this exists, and little by little, I realize there’s still hope for my son. I used to be filled with hatred because he was born with normal sight,” she said.

Dandy Revale, 41, a resident of Guinobatan town, said he used to join his family in watching movies at malls, but he couldn’t fully understand the stories as he always needed to ask his companions to describe the scenes.

“I used to ask them to narrate what happens in the scene, but this time, I didn’t need to ask my seatmate because the audio was describing it,’ Revale said.

Inclusitivity

Hendrick Jefferson Ung, the assistant mall manager of SM City Legazpi, said the project reinforces their ongoing mission to create inclusive and welcoming spaces for all.

“Everyone deserves to enjoy the magic of cinema. Through ‘Movies for the Blind,’ we are not just screening films—we are creating meaningful experiences where individuals with visual impairments feel valued and included,” Ung said.

“This is effective in theater because it has 4D experience. Their senses, even the smell and taste are activated,” said Jobert Landeza, a theater arts professor at Bicol University in Legazpi City. / MAMMM

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