This film screening was part of the British Council’s Inclusive Arts Programme. Inclusion, diversity and equality are at the core of the British Council’s cultural relations aims and part of building trust, respect and understanding between the UK and Singapore.
The directors have worked with the Royal National Institute of the Blind to produce an audio enhanced version of their film for visually impaired audiences.
For this screening the ‘MovieReading’ smartphone app is available which allows visually impaired users to download an Audio Description track of the film and hearing impaired users subtitles of the film.
The screening was held on Sunday 27 November at 11 am at Filmgarde, Bugis+
Title: Notes on Blindness, 2016 (90mins)
Director: Peter Middleton and James Spinney
Synopsis
A mesmerizing and meditative reflection about going blind, as recounted by a man forced to come to terms with his new reality.
Relying entirely on the audio diaries of John Hull, an English-based academic and professor, Notes On Blindness is a recreation of his experiences going blind over those initial three years. Aided by the extraordinary work of actors Dan Skinner and Simone Kirby, who lip-synced to the exact recordings on-screen, Hull’s journey through frustration and paranoia belie his humane and compassionate nature.
Through his observations on life, nostalgia and acceptance, directors Peter Middleton and James Spinney paint a moving picture of Hull’s brimming wisdom. Replete with visually arresting shots and coupled with a remarkable sound design, the film is a deeply insightful and ethereally poetic documentary. It is breathtakingly cinematic, rendering blindness as truthfully as can be on an ostensibly visual medium.
Directors’ Biography:
Peter Middleton and James Spinney are multi-platform filmmakers, working together for the past six years with John Hull’s diary material. Their previous works include Rainfall, which won Best Short Documentary Award at Hot Docs 2013. Notes On Blindness is their first feature, adapted from a similarly-titled short film of the same name which won an Emmy Award.
More information on the film:
Guardian Review
http://www.notesonblindness.co.uk/
More Information on the Singapore International Film Festival: http://sgiff.com