Words on Screen

We can all think of films that shaped our lives and our understanding of the world around us. Not all of them were made in English, but we often don’t think about how subtitling makes it possible for us to enjoy foreign films. This film strand aims to raise awareness of the crucial role subtitling plays in making films available and accessible to us all, and the challenges faced by subtitlers when doing so.

The strand encompasses films with subtitles for foreign languages as well as for d/Deaf, hard of hearing and neurodivergent viewers. The strand explores the challenges behind subtitling sounds, and culture-specific concepts, and will take a look at how subtitling may evolve in the future. Each screening will be followed by a discussion with a variety of speakers including subtitlers and other practitioners.

This season is presented in partnership with the University of Bristol and the University of Leeds, as part of the UK Subtitling Audiences Network, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by Carol O’Sullivan and Sara Ramos Pinto.

Other partners include Stagetext and the French audiovisual translators’ association ATAA (Association des Traducteurs et Adaptateurs de l’Audiovisuel).

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