EFN’s host venue is The Garden Cinema, situated at 39-41 Parker Street, London, WC2B 5PQ - close to Holborn and Tottenham Court Road underground stations.

By Tube: The closest London Underground station with step-free access is Tottenham Court Road, which is half a mile away.

By Car: The closest carpark is less than 100m away at NCP: WC2B 5NT. 

Blue badge parking options near The Garden Cinema (lasted updated May 10th):

1. Great Queen Street - 3 spaces (outside Hercules Pillars)

2. Newton Street - 1 space (outside Aria House)

3. Drury Lane - 1 space (outside Retro London Shop)

There is step free access to the venue from the main entrance, which is at street level.

A video walkthrough of the venue will be available shortly.

There is step free access to Screen One from the street entrance, via elevator/lift.

The lift is a platform lift. It will be operated by a member of staff at all times. There is no reversing mirror. The dimensions of the lift are 137cm x 88cm. 

There are a series of heavy doors between the lobby/bar and the screen - staff will be on hand to escort customers to the screen and open the doors on the way. 

The Box Office has a lowered counter. 

The Bar does not have a lowered counter. Staff are happy to provide table service where required.

Stair Route:

There are 3 steps up from entrance (G) to box office (UG) 

There are 16 steps down from Box Office (UG) to the mezzanine level where the standard toilets are located. 

There are a further 6 steps down from mezzanine level to Basement (B) where the screens, bar, accessible toilet and calm nook are located.

Within the screens, each row from the front is up one further step - e.g. third row will be up 3 steps.

There are no wider cubicles or grab rails in The Garden Cinema’s standard toilets - anyone who needs these features should feel free to use the accessible toilet on the basement level. 

The accessible toilet is situated in the basement bar. It has an emergency pull cord, radar lock, a right hand transfer space, support rails next to the toilet and a lowered sink with lever tap.

The accessible toilet door is 90.5cm wide.

There is a key in the external lock (attached by chain) at all times, so the accessible toilet can be opened by anyone who needs to use it. 

The toilet secure-locks from the inside - if another customer tries to open the door with the key, it will not open when locked from the inside. (This is not the case for some of the older RADAR key toilets in other venues!) 

The toilet has a narrow vertical pull handle on the outside and a lever lock handle inside.

Trained assistance animals are welcomed at EFN’s host venue, The Garden Cinema. 

We have 3 bookable spaces available for wheelchair users at each of the EFN screenings. 

To book an available wheelchair user’s space, please email info@thegardencinema.co.uk or call 020 3369 5000 (between 12-10 pm). This line is staffed by the venue. 

Unfortunately there is no online automated booking facility for wheelchair users. 

When booking…

• Please let us know whether or not you will transfer to a cinema seat, so we know what seating arrangements to make, many thanks. 

• If no wheelchair user’s seats are left on the booking page, please contact us at access@EFNFestival.org to be added to a waiting list. 

• If you have booked a wheelchair user’s space if you can no longer attend, please let us know if you can so we can offer this space to another customer. 

We look forward to welcoming you to EFN! 

Please note: 

• These spaces are all in the front row of the auditorium. The front row in Screen 1 is 210 cm from the screen. The front row in Screen 2 is 180 cm from the screen.

• If 2 or 3 wheelchair users book the seats and attend as a group, we will sit them together (as we can move the cinema seats). Alternatively, a seat can be left next to each space for a seated companion. If you are two wheelchair users who have booked separately but wish to sit together, please let us know and we will arrange the seating accordingly.

The front row of the auditorium is step free. The second row has one step. 

If you require step free seating or minimal steps due to an access need, please book a seat in one of these rows via the general booking system.  

We are aiming to have all films screened with descriptive subtitles. These will have been made by the filmmakers.

Intros and Q&As for Awards Night and Feature Film will be BSL interpreted. 

The BSL interpreter will be situated at the front of the auditorium beside the presenters.

We have put a note on the booking page to request that customers with no access needs book starting from the back row, to leave the front seats free where possible, for those that need them.

The front row in Screen 1 is 210 cm from the screen. The front row in Screen 2 is 180 cm from the screen.

The EFN 2023 screenings are not Audio Described - this is something we are looking into funding for future events. 

This section is for anyone who could not attend the event without an accompanying person. 

The host venue, the Garden Cinema, uses The CEA Card scheme. The CEA card is a national card scheme developed for UK cinemas by the UK Cinema Association (UKCA). The Card enables a cinema guest to receive a complimentary ticket if they need someone to go with them when they visit a participating cinema (essential companion). You can apply via the CEA Website.  

A seat for an Essential Companion/PA can be booked via Access@efnfestival.org, please send the details of your booking and your CEA card number. 

If you have applied for a CEA card but not yet received it, or you do not have a CEA card at all, please contact access@efnfestival.org and we can assist you.

We recognise that attending in person is not accessible to everyone. 

We are running a series of bookable online workshops for remote participants, linked here.

Unfortunately due to rights around release and screening, we can’t currently provide an online experience of our short films.

However, our Sunday screened Feature Film is also available to watch on MUBI using a 30 day free trial, linked here.

We would love to hear from anyone that watches at home. If you wish to send in questions on Medusa Deluxe to be put forward for the Q&A, please email access@efnfestival.org and we will put these to the director and get back to you. 

We are aiming to produce a transcript and audio recording of the panel discussion afterwards, this is TBA.

Physical

• In case of emergency, there will no longer be step free access, as the lift does not operate when the fire alarm is sounding. 

• For customers who can’t use stairs, we have designated protected zones in which customers can safely wait for the fire brigade. 

• These zones are secured by a series of fire doors and have been inspected and approved by the relevant authorities. 

• There are 3 designated spaces for wheelchair users within these protected zones. These spaces are each the correct size to accommodate a wide variety of mobility aids. The limit on these spaces is the reason we can only book three wheelchair users into the cinema at any one time.

• If an evacuation occurs, staff will direct you to the protected zones. 

• If you have a non-visible disability or access need, and you cannot climb the stairs in an emergency, please be sure to make yourself known to staff - they will then direct you to one of the protected zones.

• The above procedure is why the Garden Cinema has a limited number of bookable wheelchair spaces for screenings. 

• Evac Chair - we also have an Evac chair which staff are trained to use. If necessary, wheelchair users can be evacuated from the fire protected zones to the outside fire assembly point, using the Evac chair. Because the protected zones are a safe place for refuge, this would not usually be necessary unless, for example, the customer has a strong preference to be evacuated, or requires external medical assistance.

Sensory

The fire alarms will make a loud ringing sound throughout the building.

The fire alarms have a red flashing light (do they? I didn't double check this on the initial audit).

Staff will direct customers to the emergency exits or protected zones, both verbally and with physical gestures.

Staff will make sure to attend to Access customers who need assistance.

We will do our best to accommodate all access needs under reasonable adjustments - please contact us in advance to arrange specific access requirements. 

Examples include: 

• Large print program 

• Venue walkaround during off-peak hours

SUBTITLES WITH DESCRIPTIVE ELEMENTS AKA ACCESSIBLE SUBTITLES

The aim is that people who can’t hear the dialogue have the same viewing experience and can follow the action. 

So, in addition to standard speech, accessible subtitles and captions include descriptions of the soundscape and speaker identifications. Examples:

•     Naming the Current Speaker, such as [Matt:], or using a hyphen before a new speaker:

-How’s Jane?

-She’s fine.

•     Noting background music, such as [jazz music playing]

•     Other soundscape elements, such as [dog barking] or [a knock on the door]

This is a brief guide - more detailed guidance for you to use in future work will be available via the Accessible Subtitles workshop!

Some useful links and information on creating your accessible subtitles:

• REV.com $1.5/ min

• https://subtitletools.com/ 

• https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

• Sidecard http://www.sidecard.co.uk/guides#resources

• Guidelines to creating your subtitles http://www.sidecard.co.uk/guides#film-makers