Frequently Asked Questions

Cinema listings are submitted to Accessible Screenings UK on a weekly basis for the week ahead. Any further updates are made on a daily basis. Some screenings, such as autism friendly (AF), may be pre-scheduled a month in advance.

The two most likely reasons are as follows:

1. The film may not yet be available with subtitles or audio description, something which is outside of the control of the cinema.

While the vast majority of major releases are now available with embedded subtitling and/or audio description tracks, this is not true for every release.

Many of the 800 films released into cinemas each year are smaller productions distributed by independent companies where the creation and inclusion of a subtitling and audio described track in these cases is not always straightforward. Scheduling pressures and the cost of producing these tracks can sometimes mean that they are not included in time for the film’s release into cinemas.

This can also mean that cinemas sometimes do not know at the time of booking which films will arrive with the accessible tracks, making both scheduling and marketing more difficult.

In some cases, for the reasons above, the subtitled and/or audio described versions of the film may arrive a week or two after its general release, so it is worth checking the Accessible Screenings UK website regularly for updated availability.

2. The cinema is unable to make this type of screening available.

Audio described films - it may be that the cinema does not have the necessary equipment. This might be for reasons of cost or because they do not believe there is the local demand for this service. It is always worth highlighting to the cinema potential demand in the local area, so they can consider future provision.

Subtitled screenings – as above, it could be that the cinema does not have the necessary equipment. Also, customers who do not need the subtitles will often avoid going to screenings where they are shown. This means that attendance is much lower than at a like-for-like comparable non-subtitled screening. These low attendance numbers can have significant financial implications for cinema operators.

The sector is continuously looking for ways of increasing attendance at these screenings to encourage operators to increase their number. This website is one of those initiatives.

Autism friendly and dementia friendly screenings – these are still a fairly new addition to UK cinemas, but are becoming a regular feature. It could be that your local cinema is unaware of the demand. It may therefore be worth contacting your local cinema to see if this is something they could trial.

You can check what types of accessible screenings are available at your local cinema by searching in the ‘Cinema Information’ section on this website. Start searching

The ability to book tickets for a particular accessible screening will depend on the individual cinema company, though most UK cinema operators will allow customers to pre-book tickets over the telephone if they do not have online access.

The search results on the Accessible Screenings UK website will provide a link to take you to the cinema website for your chosen screening. For many cinemas, you will be taken straight to the online booking page. For some, however, this is not currently possible, so you will be taken to the home page of that cinema’s website. Please then follow the booking instructions.

Should you have any problems with booking tickets online, please contact the cinema directly. You can find their contact details by searching in the Cinema Information section on this website.

Accessible Screenings UK welcomes feedback on your recent cinema visit, be it good or bad. Your feedback will help us to make future improvements to UK cinemas in becoming more accessible for disabled customers.

To share your feedback, please complete our contact form.

Information provided will be shared with the relevant cinema operator, who may come back to you directly – or through the UK Cinema Association – to discuss any concerns or issues that arise.

Accessible Screenings UK is keen to promote events and news stories relating to access and disability within UK Cinemas. To submit a piece for inclusion, complete our contact form.

Accessible Screenings UK maintains a mailing list which it uses to update subscribers through a regular newsletter. To sign up to that, please use the form on the bottom of any page. We will require a working email address for this purposes.

These are described under ‘Types of Screenings’

Audio described screenings are not available in every cinema. This will depend on the whether the relevant screen at that cinema is enabled to provide audio description.

If the cinema has audio description enabled for all of their screens and the film has been provided with the audio description track, then every screening of that film will be available to enjoy with audio description.

For more information on this please refer to the answer provided in "Why can’t I find the film I want?"

Or you can check your local cinema’s availability in the Cinema Information section on this
website.

The audio description headsets can be borrowed from the cinema ticket office.

These are described under ‘Types of Screenings’

The terms ‘autism friendly’ and ‘relaxed’ are interchangeable. Although screenings are usually referred to as autism friendly screenings (AFS), some cinema operators use the term ‘relaxed’.

No, autism friendly screenings are enjoyed by a wide range of people. They were originally developed to help people with conditions such as autism and Asperger Syndrome to enjoy the cinema. However, experience has shown such screenings can benefit other people with a broad range of cognitive conditions. Rather than trying to list those types of conditions, it is suggested people look at what these screenings do differently to see if they might be of benefit.

Most cinemas have a regular day and time for the autism friendly screenings. The vast majority of cinemas will hold one to two screenings each month.

These are described under ‘Types of Screenings’

Subtitled or open captioned screenings can benefit a range of people, including but not limited to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people with English as a second language, and as a reading development aid.

The terms ‘subtitled’ and ‘open captioned’ are essentially interchangeable.

Subtitled or open captioned screenings are not available in every cinema. Some of the reasons for this are set out under ‘Why can’t I find the film in the accessible format I want?

You can check whether a local cinema does provide subtitled or open captioned screening in the Cinema Information section on this website.

You can begin planning your journey to the cinema by searching in the Cinema Information section on this website. This will provide information on the access features of your chosen cinema. If the information you require is not there, then please contact the cinema directly. Contact details for each of the cinemas can also be found in the same section.

You can check wheelchair access – and the provision of wheelchair spaces in the auditorium - by searching in the Cinema Information section on this website.

Some cinemas allow you to book a wheelchair space online, but many currently cannot. Most cinemas will however allow customers to pre-book tickets over the phone, should online facilities not be available.

The Accessible Screenings UK search results will provide a link to take you to the cinema website for your chosen screening. For many cinemas, you will be taken straight to the online booking page. For some, however, this is not currently possible, so you will be taken to the home page of that cinema’s website. Please then follow the booking instructions.

Should you have any problems with booking tickets online, please contact the cinema directly. You can find their contact details by searching in the Cinema Information section on this website.