A small cinema in Brisbane is offering open captioning on feature films in a bid to reduce social isolation in the deaf community.

The Blue Room in Rosalie is one of the only cinemas in the state to screen open caption films to allow deaf and the hard of hearing the opportunity to experience movies as they are created.

Various caption devices are offered at other cinemas throughout Queensland, yet the small display on a support arm attached to the cinema seat is not convenient for viewers.

Open caption films place subtitles on the big screen, allowing deaf patrons to read the subtitles as the movie plays, similar to that seen on foreign films.

Queensland's Cochlear Implant Club and Advisory Association secretary Shirley Edwards said using support devices can be unreliable, making open captions the better option.

"The refocusing of the small screen, then looking up to the big screen is hard, it gives you eye strain and neck strain and sometime the captions do not come up at all," she said.

"The open captions allow us to be included socially, as we can discuss the movie afterwards and discuss the movie better."

Ms Edwards said when she lost her hearing 10 years ago, and before she received cochlear implants, she was extremely isolated.

"It was a very terrible time, but I learnt how to listen with cochlear implants and hear again, it was step into another world," she said.

Ms Edwards said the captions were important as they offered the community social inclusion.

"There are very few options open for deaf people," she said.

"When you go to the movies, you are really, really happy to come and be part of something."

Open captions vs closed caption devices

The cinema based in Rosalie recently started offering open caption films twice a month.

The Brisbane deaf community hopes more cinemas will offer open caption films over the traditional small screen caption technology that is attached to arm rests. ( Supplied: Captiview )

The cinema's marketing manager Bhree Kemp said Ms Edwards approached the company and asked it to provide the experience for the deaf community.

"The group [Cochlear Implant Club] described the difficulty of the technology of closed caption devices to us and by having open captions on screen, they said it would make the experience better for everyone involved," she said.

Ms Kemp said it was wonderful to see the community come together to enjoy the movies.

"It feels good to provide the service and we had no idea that it was a problem as the awareness was not there," she said.

"I think other cinemas should take our lead, we do open caption screenings now once or twice a month and we try and offer a variety [of movies]."

The importance of social interaction

A recent survey conducted by non-profit organisation Conexu found that many deaf people find the movies and dealing with banks at the top of their list for tough communication challenges.

Conexu chief strategy officer Rachel McKay said the research proved social interaction was key for the deaf community.

Captions and signs at Blue Room Cinemas in Brisbane hope to make things easier for deaf patrons. ( 612 ABC Brisbane: Saskia Edwards )

"With technology and the way it is moving, there is so much more opportunity for deaf people than ever before, it should not be an issue," she said.

Ms McKay said she hopes services for the deaf community are more widely discussed.

"The social isolation that people experience if they are deaf or losing their hearing comes up all the time in our surveys," she said.

"It is a mainstream issue, as here in Australia, one in six people are deaf or hard of hearing and one of the first things that happen is people withdraw socially.

"There is so much information about people drifting into depression and all areas suffer, it is important to fill these gaps."