In April 2025, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Technical Awards introduced a new Award of Merit for Captioning. It recognizes “all the individuals who have developed and supported captioning technology, whether open or closed, for film.”
The first recipient? Marlee Matlin—Oscar-winning actress and trailblazing advocate for Deaf rights. Matlin, who made history as the first Deaf person to win an Academy Award, accepted the honor by applauding the Academy’s step toward inclusion and encouraging filmmakers to keep the Deaf community in mind.
Why does this matter so much?
You might think captions are only for people who can't hear well—and sure, that's a major reason they're essential. For Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, captions are a lifeline. They make it possible to follow the dialogue, understand key sounds, and experience the full story just like anyone else. Without them, entire plot points and emotional moments can get lost. Captions help make movie magic accessible.
But here's something surprising: about 80% of people who use captions aren’t Deaf or hard of hearing at all. Think about it. Have you ever turned on captions because the music in a movie was too loud? Or because someone was sleeping nearby and you didn’t want to blast the volume? Maybe you just didn’t want to miss any dialogue while multitasking. Captions make all of that easier.
They're also a great tool for learning a new language—you can hear and see the words at the same time, which helps a ton with understanding and memory. And let’s be honest: even native speakers sometimes need a little help keeping track when the plot gets twisty or the accents get thick.
So no, this new Oscar isn’t just a symbolic pat on the back. It’s a major statement. By recognizing captioning as award-worthy, the Academy is saying loud and clear: accessibility matters. It matters to people with hearing loss. It matters to language learners. It matters to anyone who wants to catch every word in a noisy world.
This award is more than overdue—it's a celebration of inclusion, of technology, and of the simple idea that everyone deserves to enjoy the full movie experience.