The Dark Room

In light of the recent release of Steven Spielberg's "Disclosure Day," Alex and Lee celebrate the prolific film director and his body of work. We give our thoughts on his current movie and reveal our top 10 favorite Spielberg films.  If you would like to contact us, please email darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Counc...

Alex and Lee chat with audio description performer, Tansy Alexander, who has worked on franchises like "Stranger Things," "The Hunger Games," and "A Quiet Place." In our discussion, Tansy discusses her journey into audio description, what access for all looks like, and how AI is changing the AD landscape. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast...

In honor of the recent theatrical release of "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu", Alex and Lee rank all live-action Star Wars films, which makes for some fun discussion. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Council for the Blind's Website! https://adp.acb.org/findavideo.h...

Alex and Lee chat with Joanne DiVito, a former Broadway dancer and live audio describer for performing arts events in the Los Angeles area. In our conversation, Joanne recounts some of her previous experiences as a performer and how it prepared her to step into the world of live audio description. If you live in the Los Angeles area and would like to request live audio description for an upcoming...

Alex and Lee chat with Colleen Connor, co-founder of Audio Description Training Retreats, who discusses their journey with blindness and their work in audio description. We explore the craft of AD and how their immersive retreats are helping train the next generation of describers. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival host...

Alex and Lee are joined by special guest Anna Capezzera, who is the director of accessibility at Deluxe. This global media and entertainment services company provides audio description, captions, and other accessible options. In our discussion, Anna chronicles her journey into accessibility, talks about her current role at Deluxe, and touches on raising puppies for guide dog training. If you would...

Alex and Lee are joined by special guests, John Stark and Ren Leach, to present the 2nd annual Blind Film Critics Society nominations and awards, which honor the best in cinema for 2025. Follow Alex on Letterbox'd at @alexhoward11 and Lee at @leepugsleyla  Follow John Stark at: https://www.macthemovieguy.com YouTube - @macthemovieguy  Rotten Tomatoes - John Stark Follow Ren Leach at:  https:/...

Alex and Lee share their 2026 film festival experiences at the Sundance and Slamdance film festivals, recap the films they saw, and recount some fun stories. Plus, they touch on the Warner Bros. sale drama. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: https://www.blindcan.com Search for Audio Descri...

Alex and Lee are excited to present the 3rd Annual Oscars Audio Description Round Table, celebrating the work of some very talented audio description writers and performers representing 5 of the Oscar-nominated Best Picture films from this awards season. This year's lineup of panelists includes: - Liz Gutman - “Frankenstein” and "Train Dreams" (AD Writer)  - Anusha VeDagiri - "...

Alex and Lee chat with Sheridan O’Donnell, a legally blind film director. In our conversation, Sheridan discusses his feature film “Little Brother” and his documentary “Rising Phoenix”, as well as chronicling his journey as a disabled creative. Check out Sheridan’s website here: https://www.sheridanodonnell.com If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out th...

Alex and Lee reveal their top 10 films of 2025.  Please note: This episode was recorded before the Oscar nominations were announced on January 22, 2026. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: https://www.blindcan.com Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Counc...

Alex and Lee preview 2026 in cinema and discuss their top 10 most anticipated films of the year. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: https://www.blindcan.com Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Council for the Blind's Website! https://adp.acb.org/fin...

Alex and Lee ring in the holiday season by sharing favorite holiday memories, favorite festive films, and a holiday wish list for accessibility. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: https://www.blindcan.com Search for Audio Description availability for any title on the American Council for t...

Alex & Lee celebrate the legacy of the prolific Stephen King by reviewing his four theatrical adaptations from 2025 and some of their personal favorites. They also go into some industry talk about the current and future state of Warner Bros. If you would like to contact us, please e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Check out the Blind Can Film Festival hosted by our sponsor, Ben Fox: https://w...

Alex and Lee chat with Anthony Marciona, a live audio describer and actor who has been in show business for over 50 years. In our discussion, Anthony discusses the nuanced similarities and differences between being an audio describer and an actor. Check out Anthony’s website at: https://www.anthonymarciona.com/ If you would like to request live audio description for an upcoming performance you wil...

Lee and Alex sit down with Serina Gilbert, a blind AD Quality Control Specialist, mom, content creator, and AD advocate.  Serina Gilbert on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blindygirlofficial AD Discussion Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AudioDescriptionDiscussion   If you want to reach us, e-mail darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube ch...

Alex and Lee celebrate 50 episodes of THE DARK ROOM with a retrospective look back at the past three years. They reflect on the evolution of the podcast and how it has impacted them personally and professionally, as well as recalling their favorite episodes and casting a vision for what the future holds. They also recap highlights from the 2025 summer movie season, and end with some fun games feat...

Alex and Lee welcome Matt Lauterbach of All Senses Go to discuss the inaccessibility of the New York Times' Top 100 Films of the Century So Far. In this episode, we discuss why accessibility for these films is important, the barriers to getting them audio-described, and potential solutions moving forward. Matt's interview with Alex: https://allsensesgo.substack.com/p/these-are-the-best-f...

Alex and Lee chat with Roman Howell, live audio describer and audiobook narrator, about the nuanced differences of each type of narration. Follow Roman on Instagram at @Romanaudiobooks and pre-order his upcoming Goosebumps Audible audiobook “Ghost Camp” here . For those in the Los Angeles area looking for live audio description, please contact the venue box office for the performance you are atten...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dakota Green and Ren Leech, the audio description writer and narrator, respectively, for the Emmy-nominated HBO series THE PENGUIN. They share their creative process behind crafting AD for the dark, gritty Gotham world and discuss the power of inclusive storytelling through an authentically disabled AD team. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at making The Pengui...

Alex and Lee chat with Ariel Baska, disabled film maker and horror activist, about the Access: Horror Film Festival happening in New York on August 1. In our discussion, Ariel chronicles their journey with disability, getting the horror film festival off the ground, and what attendees can expect this year at the Access: Horror event. Sign up to attend the Access: Horror Film Festival by July 29 he...

Alex and Lee kick off Disability Pride Month by welcoming disabled actors, Tobias Forrest and John W. Lawson, to the show. They discuss their award-winning film DARUMA and the importance of authentic disability representation in the entertainment industry. DARUMA is currently available to stream for free with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. To get the accompanying audio description track, down...

Now that the final installment is out, Alex and Lee rank all 8 Mission: Impossible films and discuss their favorite stunts, as well as the audio description tracks for the franchise. If you have any questions, comments, or would like to share your MI rankings with us, please email darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com. Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel at @darkroomf...

Carl Richardson and Kim Charlson are the co-chairs of the American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project, or ADP. They join Lee and Alex to discuss the various media-related committees of the ACB and how they are helping to advance accessibility in the entertainment industry. We also discuss the upcoming ACB virtual and in-person conference, as well as the panels that will be avail...

Alex and Lee are pleased to welcome special guest, John Stark, to the show as we proudly introduce the Blind Film Critics Society (BFCS). The BFCS was formed to bring blind and low vision voices to the film criticism space, and we are honored to present the nominations and winners for the first annual BFCS awards. Please note that our selections represent the 2024 calendar year in film. If you are...