Action: Advocacy

World Sight Day in October draws attention to the experience of millions of people dealing with sight loss across the world. Over 3 out of 4 of the world’s vision impaired are avoidably so, therefore the IAPB (International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness) are running their #LoveYourEyes campaign to raise awareness about global eye health. Find out how you can support through their website resources.

Cinemas UK-wide make films available with audio description so customers with sight loss can experience the latest films. Audio description is only made available on some titles, but we look to a time when audio description is available on all titles.

Accessible Screenings UK lists audio-described screenings, as well as other accessible screenings.

September is Bisexuality Visibility Month, during which is Bi Visibility Day on September 23rd. It’s a month to come together in solidarity to unite, raise awareness, challenge erasure and celebrate bisexual and biromantic people and communities.

Events celebrating Bi Visibility which are needed more than ever for those who may be less visible and more marginalised at this time.

Activists and allies can support bisexual people, and the LGBTQIA community by:

• Increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (“LGBTQIA”) people, their history, lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community;
• Raising awareness and advancing education on matters affecting the LGBTQIA community;
• Working to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBTQIA communities; and
• Promoting the welfare of LGBTQIA people, by ensuring that the education system recognises and enables LGBTQIA people to achieve their full potential, so they contribute fully to society and lead fulfilled lives, thus benefiting society as a whole.

Bisexuality and Cinema

Now is as important as ever to support the work of LGBTQ+ filmmakers and stories. We have some lists of films here which focus on bisexual stories or characters, however bisexuality can often be misrepresented and/or underrepresented in film. We hope increasing awareness and visibility will springboard more authentic representation in film, both onscreen and behind the camera.

If you are interested in running a film inspired event, we have provided some links below for further information to help inspire programming in your venue, or for running events or activity online.

Learning Disability Week, taking place in the third week of June is presented by Mencap.

Learning Disability and Film

Learning disabled people are chronically underrepresented in the film industry. This is a time to reflect on supporting learning disabled representation in the film industry as well as consider access to cinema for neurodivergent audiences.

Oska Bright, based in Brighton is the worlds biggest learning disability film festival. Find out more about their amazing work here. Mencap community group of people with a learning disability took a look at four films which were shown as part of the Oska Bright 2024 Film Festival. You can watch the films here.

Daydream Cinema provide accessible screenings for neurodiverent and disabled audiences. The Connect With Film: Neurodivergent Short Film Programme features several films by learning disabled filmmakers, and will be screened FREE online during Learning Disability Week. Watch it here from Saturday 22nd – Sunday 23rd June 2024.

In 2019, FAN New Releases supported Signature’s title The Peanut Butter Falcon, a modern Mark Twain-esque adventure starring Shia LaBeouf (American Honey, Fury) as a small-time outlaw turned unlikely coach who joins forces with Zack Gottsagen‘s Zak, a young man with Down Syndrome on the run from a nursing home with the dream of becoming a professional wrestler. You can now watch The Peanut Butter Falcon on BFI Player.

You can also watch the film My Feral Heart on Amazon Prime. A drama in which Luke (Steven Brandon), a young man with Down’s syndrome who prizes his independence, is forced into a care home after the death of his mother. There he rails against the restrictions imposed on him, but his frustrations are allayed by his budding friendships with his care-worker Eve (Shana Swash) and a mysterious feral girl (Pixie Le Knot).

Learning disability and Cinema

If you’re interested in running a relaxed screening to help bring in Learning Disabled audiences to your cinema, find out more in our quick tips for running relaxed screenings. You may also find some transferable advice in our autism-friendly screenings guide, though bear in mind much of this advice is specific to people living with autism, not necessarily those who are Learning Disabled. Ideally, consult with Learning Disabled groups in your area for advice and expertise.