Closed Caption in collaboration with Servis Bahasa

Listening to the Deaf 

Reimagining Closed Captions with their main audience through “Sonorous Melody”. 

The 2023 Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival returns with Luminescence as the festival theme, underscoring the importance of having an inclusive perspective in viewing Asian cinema from its various origins.  Natually luminnating, the distinctive light of Asian cinema emanates from its characteristics, rather than being constructed by external forces. The perspective of inclusivity is reflected in several programs held, namely Bioskop Bisik, which will screen films specifically for visually impaired audiences. Each audience will be accompanied by a whispering friend who will accompany them during the screening. In addition, there is a Public Lecture Closed Caption Subtittle program which is a collaboration program with Servis Bahasa.

We are now living in a more inclusive world (or at least aiming to be more inclusive) towards disabilities, in this case, access to audiovisual media. Closed Captions (CC) or also known as Subtitles for Deaf or Hard of Hearing (SDH) is a practice that consists of presenting on-screen written text that accounts for the dialogue and its paralinguistic dimension as well as for music and sounds and noises contained in the soundtrack so that viewers with hearing impairments can understand and appreciate audiovisual materials.

In 2006, the United Nations, through the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, urged member states to take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities can take part on an equal basis with others in enjoying access to television programs, films, theatre, and other cultural activities in accessible formats. Moreover, in countries such as the United Kingdom, SDH has been offered since the 1980s.

Closed Captions (CC), or SDH, whichever we may call it, actually preceded the existence of audio-visual entertainment through silent film in the early 1920s in the form of Intertitles. It displayed dialogue from the film or an explanation of the action and was often highly stylized for maximum visual effect albeit not specifically designed for the deaf and hard of hearing (HOH).

As of today, closed captioning has been more prevalent, yet it still leans toward the pragmatic approach favoured by the mass entertainment industry. This special program aims to present a new approach to closed captioning with “Sonorous Melody” (Senandung Senyap), a film which involved deaf and hard of hearing and sign language communities in Yogyakarta in their process. The time has come for us to listen to what the deaf communities have to say about the current form of closed captions and their expectations about true accessibility to feel the same excitement and feeling in the audiovisual medium.