“Days and Nights in Wuhan” Barrier-free Version Screened to Conveying the People-benefiting Nature of SIFF

The Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) is not only a festival for ordinary fans, but also a festival for the visually impaired. The anti-epidemic documentary film “Days and Nights in Wuhan” in the Panorama unit of this SIFF – “A Hundred-Year Journey, Red Film Art” has been specially produced in a barrier-free version, allowing the visually impaired to enjoy this tear-jerking movie through the sound effects of the film and the commentary in the earphones separately audio track, which also conveyed the humanity warmth of SIFF.

In the recent release event for this film version and the "Sunshine Love Cinema-Barrier-Free Movie Screening" public welfare promotional film held by the Shanghai Film Distribution and Exhibition Industry Association, Tai Lihua, Head of China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe and the famous dancer known for her dance work “Thousand-Hand Kwan-yin”, praised this method. Like  “Thousand-Hand Kwan-yin”, “the barrier-free screening will bring the beauty and strength of Wuhan to more audiences”, she said encouraging countless people with disabilities.

"Days and Nights in Wuhan" was screened in theaters across the country on January 22 this year. It is the first domestic documentary film on the anti-epidemic theme to be released in theaters. The film was filmed by 30 front-line photographers from more than 1,000 hours of material, without using a voice-over or writing a line. The real record method is adopted to convey more love and warmth. It has won a good box office and a high score. Chief producer Li Wei said: "The creation of a barrier-free version of this documentary film will enable visually impaired viewers to better understand and imagine the plot and enlarge the power of love so that more people can feel the warmth and power of this film. "

To express the creative intentions more accurately, the commentary of the barrier-free version of the film was personally recorded by Director Cao Jinling, "I hope that with my voice, more people can feel the scene of recording the great moments of life with their lives at anti-epidemic frontline." And this commentary was written by the visually impaired Han Ying. She has been committed to the production of barrier-free films and has produced hundreds of films. She revealed that the commentary of this work is different from previous films. It must truly convey the correct information in the picture, and inject warm emotion and positive energy. Through the second creation, the true feelings and true love in the anti-epidemic story can be more vividly displayed.

Paying attention to the cultural and artistic life of people with disabilities, so that all audiences can share the artistic charm of the film, is the consistent effort of SIFF to benefit the people. The screening event was held in Cinema Palace in Shanghai, which is a "Sunshine Love Cinema" equipped with barrier-free viewing equipment. Prior to the screening of the barrier-free version of "Days and Nights in Wuhan", the first release ceremony of "Sunshine Love Cinema-Barrier-Free Movies" public welfare promotional film was also held. The promotional film will be screened before every film in cinemas in Shanghai. At present, 59 cinemas in the Yangtze River Delta region have joined the Sunshine Love Cinema project.

It is learnt that Shanghai is the first city across the country to launch barrier-free movie screenings. It has gone through the transition from telling movies for the blind in the community to holding commercial barrier-free movie screenings for the visually impaired people, and to the disabled and ordinary audiences watching the movie together. The "Sunshine Love Cinema-barrier-free movie screening" project installs a launching device in the theater to show movies with narration, allowing the visually impaired to wear wireless headphones to watch movies in a "listening" way, so as to better understand and imagine the plot and scene.