For its twentieth anniversary, the Rome Film Festival gave its audience a gift: it made the Masterclasses accessible to people with hearing impairments—that is, the conversations with directors and actors. The initiative was promoted as “an important step that further enriches the audience’s experience, allowing everyone to take part in moments of discussion and in-depth exchange with leading figures of international cinema.” How did the new system work? We tested it during the Masterclass with Jafar Panahi, one of the very few directors to have won all the major European film festivals (Venice, Cannes, Berlin). The Iranian filmmaker received a lifetime achievement award and presented It Was Just an Accident, with which he won the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. His presence was especially moving because for many years he was forbidden to leave Iran, was forced to make films clandestinely, and spent months in the notorious Evin Prison (he was there when his film No Bears was awarded in Venice). After everything he has endured, seeing him once again traveling the world and speaking about cinema is a great joy; that is why it was so important that his words could reach everyone.
In practical terms, using the real-time transcription service developed by Sub-ti was simple: all you had to do was scan the QR code on the sign at the entrance to the theater with your phone. Once the webpage opened and the few settings were configured, you just waited for the event to begin. Panahi, with the interpreter beside him, spoke in Farsi; the transcription appeared on the phone almost in real time, following the questions and the Italian translations of his answers. The result was satisfying, despite some inaccuracies in punctuation and the handling of spoken fillers: the text was clear, and the conversation truly accessible.
Hearing impairment was also addressed in cinematic fiction: it was one of the central themes of A Second Life, directed by Laurent Slama and screened out of competition at Alice nella Città, the festival held alongside the Rome Film Festival. From the opening scenes, we understand that the protagonist Elisabeth (Agathe Rousselle) is depressed, lives in Paris, and works as a concierge for a company that rents apartments; she needs a full-time contract in order to obtain a residence permit. The crucial day to convince her boss is July 26, 2024: the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games turns Paris into a chaotic, vibrant city. Among the people she meets while managing check-ins and guest assistance is Elijah (Alex Lawther), a sports hypnotherapist whose open and curious attitude toward others clashes with Elisabeth’s introverted nature, turning her day upside down. Elisabeth, who is hard of hearing due to a past event, relies on hearing aids: she removes them when she needs to isolate herself, but while this voluntary act can feel like retreating into a shell, losing them unintentionally becomes a sentence to exclusion from society—especially on a day filled with widespread celebrations. The film’s shifting sound design seeks to convey Elisabeth’s sense of closeness to and distance from others; her physical condition turns into psychological fragility, making her feel out of place even in the city where she hopes to continue living. Yet right in the middle of the festive Olympic Paris crowd, thanks to someone she meets by chance, she finds a mysterious path toward beginning a new life, with the lightness she had been missing.
