CAITLYN GAROFOLO
Special to The Leader
Over the weekend, the Dunkirk Movieplex debuted closed captioned films with a matinee showing of “Maze Runner.” The decision to make closed captioning available was a strong move on the theater’s behalf, and it is sure to bring in a larger audience.
Until now, the deaf have been left out of the picture, as the closest location to watch a closed captioned film was as far as Buffalo. For the hearing impaired who live in the area, that distance created an issue. The hearing-impaired had to go out of their way to get the full experience and be able to enjoy a film. Failing to offer these services was also a profit loss for the Movieplex. Ticket sales suffered because of the competition, and in a move to drive ticket sales and keep money in the community, the theater is offering options to customers as a positive improvement.
When asked about the recent changes, Aleyna Szot, a sales associate at the theater, said the expansion is a beneficial move for Movieplex, which was previously failing to provide for a number of the residents here in town.
“This is a great thing and will help bring in more of the community; it’s a chance to not leave anyone out,” she said.
The audience may have been small at Sunday’s showing of “Maze Runner,” but its members were passionate. It seems the deaf community is excited to be supported in this regard, and the theater is open-minded to helping. Being able to go see a new movie in theaters, without having to wait a year for a DVD to be released, is a luxury we often take for granted.
As the word gets out that the Movieplex has made changes to expand their demographic, popularity will grow. After the showing, even audience members who did not have hearing issues said it was a good experience and a useful transformation. If they missed a line, the words displayed on the screen helped fill in the gaps. Also, people now have the option to bring a friend or family member who is hearing impaired.
This release of closed captioning is bringing in new blood to the theater. An unexpected crowd is being drawn in, too. Those learning English found closed captioned films to be useful in their pursuit of understanding the language.
Barbara Sam was an audience member, but more importantly, she was one of the driven women who were persistent in eliciting change in the community. She noted with a smile that “the showing was fabulous, [and that] the theater has been really easy to work with.”
Later, when talking about what encouraged her to push for these changes, she mentioned that “[her] mother advocated for the hard of hearing,[and] it was her who pushed us in the hearing world.”
People like Barbara are proof that one can start small to provoke big change.
Reaching out to the deaf population living in Dunkirk is certainly a step in the right direction. It is important to offer equal opportunities to all of the occupants here. In a small community such as this, we have to put in effort to meet a range of needs. Adam Glasier, a journalist for the Post Journal in Jamestown, noted that “Fredonia is predominantly populated by people who will benefit from this change in local film going.”
It will be a more fulfilling experience for deaf community members to be able to fully comprehend a film with no communication barrier. The theater is still working out the kinks, but to find out more, check out www.dunkirkmovieplex.com.