In the darkness of a cinema space, the audience sits blindfolded. Behind each row of audience members is a row of children who in hushed voices describe a film only they can see. Accompanied by the soundtrack (which has no dialogue), the whispered descriptions are a fragile, fragmentary and, at times, struggling-but-courageous attempt by the children to make sense of what they see on the screen.

Based on the method of audio description, Blind Cinema is an experience where the act of watching a film becomes a shared investment: a collaborative and imaginative act between seeing children and blinded adults. It embraces the difficulty of finding the right words and of trying to hold onto the unstable images created in the mind’s eye. Blind Cinema leaves the illusory reality of cinema and re-enters the vivid images of the imagination.

Co-presented by the Contemporary Arts Center’s Black Box Performance Series and the Mini Microcinema, performances occur at The Carnegie’s Otto M. Budig Theater in Covington. Filmmaker Hatzius works with students from four area elementary schools for the separate engagements, visiting schools and preparing the children for this unique experience that puts the power of the performance in their hands.

“Through a simple exercise and allowing children to really try, to fail, and star, Blind Cinema is a sensitive and gentle connection with a developing mind” —Total Theatre

For more information, visit the Contemporary Arts Center’s event page here.