Notes on Blindness

{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}

{{Infobox film

| name = Notes on Blindness

| image = Notes on Blindness.png

| caption = British release poster

| director = {{plainlist|

• Pete Middleton
• James Spinney

}}

| producer = {{plainlist|

• Mike Brett
• Jo Jo Ellison
• Steve Jamison
• Pete Middleton
• James Spinney
• Alex Usborne

}}

| starring =

| music = {{plainlist|

• James Ewers
• Noah Wood

}}

| cinematography = Gerry Floyd

| editing = Julian Quantrill

| studio = {{Plainlist|

• Archer's Mark
• Creative England
• Impact Partners
• Arte Cinema
• BBC Storyville
• Curzon Artificial Eye
• British Film Institute

}}

| distributor ={{plainlist|

• Artificial Eye

}}

| runtime = 90 minutes

| released = {{Film date|2016|01|24|Sundance|2016|07|01|UK|df=yes}}

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Notes on Blindness is a 2016 British documentary film directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney. The film profiles writer and theologian John M. Hull, who became totally blind, just days before the birth of his first son, after decades of steadily deteriorating vision. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, Hull began documenting his experiences on audio cassette and wrote his autobiography Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness in 1990.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/06/30/notes-on-blindness-is-one-of-the-most-eye-opening-documentaries/ |title=Notes on Blindness is one of the most eye-opening documentaries you'll see all year - review |first=Tim |last=Robey |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=30 June 2016 |accessdate=10 January 2017}} He discusses difficulties such as remembering his families faces, and being unable to find audio versions of the academic books he wants to read, and thus having to ask friends and family to record them for him. The film is based upon this work, and his taped diaries and letters. The directors previously created a 2014 Emmy winning short film on the same subject, which this film builds upon.{{cite web |last1=Kermode |first1=Mark |title=Notes on Blindness review – seeing the light despite the darkness |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/03/notes-on-blindness-john-hull-review-mark-kermode |website=the Guardian |access-date=12 April 2025 |date=3 July 2016}}

The film won the British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary and received nominations for Best Director, Breakthrough Producer, Best Achievement in Craft (Joakim Sundström for sound) and the Douglas Hickox Award.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/global/ken-loach-i-daniel-blake-british-independent-film-awards-1201905256/ |title=Ken Loach's 'I, Daniel Blake' Leads British Independent Film Awards Race |first=Leo |last=Barraclough |work=Variety |publisher=Penske Business Media |date=11 November 2016 |accessdate=10 January 2017}} At the 70th British Academy Film Awards, the film was nominated for Best British Film, Best Documentary and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/01/2017-bafta-awards-nominees-british-film-academy-nominations-1201882213/ |title=BAFTA Nominations: 'La La Land' Leads With 11; 'Arrival,' 'Nocturnal Animals' Nab 9 Each – Full List & Notable Omissions |first=Diana |last=Lodderhose |work=Deadline Hollywood |publisher=Penske Business Media |date=9 January 2017 |accessdate=10 January 2017}} It was pitched at Sheffield Doc/Fest's 2012 MeetMarket.{{Cite podcast |url=https://sheffielddocfest.libsyn.com/notes-on-blindness-into-darkness-a-film-and-vr-autopsy |title=Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness, a Film and VR Autopsy |website=Sheffield DocFest Podcast |date=2016-10-28 |access-date=2024-03-14}}

Dan Renton Skinner and Simone Kirby depict John Hull and Marilyn Hull respectively in the film.{{Cite web |title=Notes on Blindness - Apple TV |url=https://tv.apple.com/gb/movie/notes-on-blindness/umc.cmc.rfml99uvtr3nm8c3jpxaz9xb |access-date=14 April 2025 |website=Apple TV}}

"Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness", an immersive VR experience, released alongside the film, won a XR Peabody Award in 2021.{{cite web |title=Notes on Blindness {{!}} Digital productions ARTE |url=https://www.arte.tv/digitalproductions/en/notes-on-blindness/ |website=www.arte.tv |access-date=12 April 2025 |language=en}}