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Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet recently surprised a young fan with an unexpected video call after learning about the difficulties the teenager faced in finding a cinema with accessible facilities. Fourteen-year-old Eryn, who has been blind since birth, had to make an arduous 140-mile round trip to watch the film adaptation of Enid Blyton’s beloved book series, *The Magic Faraway Tree*. This journey was essential because the cinema they found was reportedly the only one offering audio description (AD) headsets suitable for visually impaired viewers.
Eryn, who has long cherished the *Magical Faraway Tree* books, was thrilled to experience the movie but disappointed by the lack of nearby accessible screenings. Upon reading about Eryn’s ordeal, Winslet—who provided the voice for the audiobooks—expressed her astonishment at the necessity of such a long trip just to enjoy the film. Winslet shared Eryn’s story with the film’s producer, Dame Pippa Harris, and screenwriter Simon Farnaby. They then arranged a virtual meeting with the teenager to discuss the issue and the hope for wider access to audio-described films in cinemas.
During the video call, Eryn was left nearly speechless when Winslet appeared as a surprise guest. “I recognised her voice from the outset but it was just such a shock,” Eryn recounted. Winslet conveyed her enthusiasm about supporting greater inclusivity in cinema experiences. “We want to be able to support you as much as we can in doing that. So hopefully we can be a part of that and helping you make that change,” she told Eryn. She emphasized that inclusiveness is fundamental to why they create films, highlighting the importance of making movie screenings accessible for everyone.
The discussions also included Dame Pippa Harris, who expressed regret on behalf of the cinema industry and hoped this attention would encourage improvements. “This might put more pressure on the cinemas to make sure that no other kid has to travel quite as far as you did to see a film because it’s really terrible,” she said. Screenwriter Simon Farnaby echoed these sentiments and revealed he is already working on a sequel to *The Magic Faraway Tree* film, jokingly telling Eryn, “I was just working on it today, actually. I’m writing a part for
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