New Delhi, September 16 (HS). The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken an important step towards making cinema viewing more inclusive and accessible for Divyang persons. Now subtitles of films screened in movie theaters will have to be given for the hearing impaired and visually impaired.

Taking a step in this direction, the e-CineCertification module has been released. Applicants can now apply and submit their films with the necessary accessibility features for the hearing and visually impaired as specified in the guidelines. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had set the effective date for the implementation of these guidelines as 15 September 2024.

These guidelines apply to feature films certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for public exhibition in cinema halls, movie theaters for commercial purposes which are to be certified in more than one language. They will be required to provide at least one accessibility feature each for the hearing impaired and visually impaired, i.e., closed captioning, open captioning, and audio description.

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar