In honour of the Canadian Council of the Blind’s White Cane Week (and, you know, fun) Accessible Media Inc’s Ryan Delehanty and Detention writer Mark Palermo present two special screenings of Joseph Kahn and Palermo’s Detention to kick off Carbon Arc’s new 2013 program.
The first screening (7pm) is a descriptive video screening for the visually-impaired, featuring additional narration. The second screening (9:15pm) is with the film’s original audio track.
“There’s something exciting about art forms cutting through the boundaries we imagine separate us,” says Palermo, who will be in attendance for Q&A after the screenings. “Detention may focus on 21st century kids, but that isn’t the limit of the audience that would relate to it or enjoy it. When Ryan presented the idea of this screening to me, it seemed like such an inclusive thing to do with a film that’s obviously very close to me, so I was immediately on board.”
Detention, starring The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson, is a genre mishmash. Comedy, horror, sci-fi, manic teen films—it’s got it all, and this screening includes an elegant English accent to boot.
Delehanty says descriptive video tracks occur less often in North America, so he was pleasantly surprised to find out a track was included on Detention. The Blu-Ray for the film was produced in England, where European accessibility-related broadcasting requirements are stricter, causing studios to be more proactive.
“Blind and low-vision Haligonians have few, if any, opportunities to enjoy a movie at the theatre in an accessible format,” says Delehanty. “Detention is definitely a movie best enjoyed at a big, public screening with an enthusiastic crowd. I was really excited by the idea of having a fully-inclusive showing with a diverse audience who wouldn’t normally have the chance to gather and enjoy a film together.”
“It’s worth seeing, especially if you’ve seen the movie before, because it adds another dimension to a movie that’s very meta,” says Palermo. “The guy who does it does a great job. He’s English, so this wild North American pop genrefuck film takes on an esteemed Mike Leigh quality.”
Proud film dad Palermo is especially happy to screen the film closer to home after the film’s original opening in April. “It’s my kid. I’m happy for it to be off at school and making its own friends, but sometimes I need to go to the PTA meetings and make sure it isn’t being dealt meth and is being treated right,” says Palermo. “When it opened in April it played out in Bayers Lake, so I’m happy to bring the movie closer to downtown for a couple screenings.”
Catch Detention on Friday, February 1, 7pm (descriptive track screening) and 9:15pm, $7 at the accessible auditorium of Museum of Natural History, 1747 Summer Street.
This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2013.
