
The Boy and the Heron and Flow, two examples of award winning movies from other countries that have been shown at the Gem Theater
BETHEL — When it comes to movies offered at the Gem theater, the selection is generally diverse. The Gem has been adding to that diversity by bringing in films from different countries, including some in other languages that have been shown both in English and in their original language using closed captions.
Wade Kavenaugh, owner of the Gem theater, described the showing of multilingual movies as “A great way to bring a different part of the world to Bethel.” The movie Flow, which won a Golden Globe Award, was created by a Latvian director.
The Boy and the Heron was shown both in English and in its original Japanese with English closed captions. The idea of movies of different nationalities came from an indie theater called Coolidge Corner, that Kavenaugh took the example from. He has also credited some of their movie selection to their booker, who also does film booking for the Maine film center. Kavenaugh described the booker as “Really in tune with the best films out there.”
Multilingual movies are not the only time the Gem uses closed captioning. They have also implemented an accessibility program, which has closed captions and low volume streaming each week on Mondays. The Gem already shows movies at a lower volume than industry standards. On a scale of 1-10, most theaters are meant to play the movies at a 7.8. The Gem, however, plays them at a 4.8.
The Monday screenings show the movies at an even lower volume, for those who may have more sensitivity to noise or simply want a quieter movie experience. The quieter closed captioning screening began as an accessibility initiative, and was tested for six months. At the beginning there were few people who attended, but Kavenaugh said that over time more began to come, and now, “We usually get the same people almost every week.”
The Gem theater also has accessible listening devices, though Kavenaugh says that they are not very commonly used. The captioned screenings on Mondays are a way for people to have the full movie theater experience while not being overwhelmed by noise or struggling to understand what might be being said.
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