This year, the Sydney Film Festival in partnership with Accessible Arts included Rear Window captioning and audio-description services for some screenings as a part of its Accessible Cinema program.
Sydney Film Festival is inviting Sydneysiders to get off their couch and experience the real deal from 3-14 June 2009.News
Accessible Cinema trials Rear Window captioning at the Sydney Film Festival plus audio described screening announced
The 56th Sydney Film Festival in partnership with Accessible Arts will trial a new method of captioning for people who are deaf or who have a hearing impairment, at this year's festival. An audio described screening will also be included as part of the Accessible Cinema program. 
As audio described and captioned films are not regularly screened, the Sydney Film Festival is offering a rare and important opportunity to experience improved access and provide support for technology that will enable the expansion of audio description and captioning in cinemas across Australia. Rear Window captioning uses a reflective plastic panel mounted on a flexible stalk that sits adjacent to the viewer’s seat. A large LED display is mounted on a rear wall that displays caption characters in mirror image. Viewers move the panels into position, below the movie screen, so they can read the reflected captions and watch the movie. Audio description provides a concise and meaningful description of the visual content of a film through head sets and enables a richer experience for people who are blind or have low vision.
The following screening will have rear window captions and audio description:
Cheri, UK-France-Germany, dir Stephen Frears: Lushly romantic adaptation of the novel by French scribe/bonne viveuse Colette is an immensely entertaining portrait of love bought, found and lost among the rarefied courtesan circle of the Belle Époque.
Screening time: Fri, 12 June 9:15 pm, State Theatre
The following screening will have rear window captions:
Prime Mover, Australia, dir-scr David Caesar: A little bit of truck-love burns a lot of rubber in this diesel-charged romance about a dab-hand at the repair shop, who has a crush on the roadhouse girl from across the highway and hankers after a chromed-up prime mover of his own.
Screening time: Mon 8 June 4:00 pm, State Theatre
To book rear-window captioned seats and audio described head sets please call the festival office on 9690 5390 or email tickets@sff.org.au. Please note, seats are limited and subject to availability.