September is World Alzheimer’s Month, with a focus on World Alzheimer’s day on 21st September. It can highlight the importance of taking the time to talk and helping to break the silence around dementia.
The month is a global opportunity to raise awareness around dementia, one of the biggest challenges we face, with nearly 50 million people living with dementia worldwide. it is important for everyone to understand how it impacts the daily lives of people affected by the condition and challenge the stigma that surrounds it. People and organisations have a chance to demonstrate how we can overcome these issues and help people live well with dementia. Find out more about how to get involved in the UK from Alzheimer’s Society.
We can help by working together, collaborating and sharing best practice with one another. We have included some resources below to help get you started. You may want to join the Dementia Friends movement, or help by sharing information with friends, family and colleagues.
Cinema and film can be an inspiring and powerful tool for representation and developing awareness projects. Find some inspiration on this page for further research and planning ideas. There is also some information about setting up online film clubs and resources to help plan in this difficult time due to coronavirus.
Dementia-friendly cinema screenings create a slice of normal life for people living with dementia, a chance to experience film in a relaxed and supported environment. The screenings have adaptations to make the space more comfortable and accessible for people living with dementia to enjoy film, as individuals or with their families. Organisations such as the UK Cinema Association, Alzheimers Society and FAN have worked with cinemas to support them in welcoming audiences living with dementia.
During coronavirus, there were restrictions on dementia-friendly screenings as public events could be a higher risk activity for some audiences living with dementia, or for people who are living in care homes. Make sure to follow current advice on dementia friendly cinema from the Alzheimers Society.
We believe we should be constantly striving to improve access to film and cinema for all audiences and have provided some training resources and information on this page to help you host Dementia Friendly Screenings in your venue.
These resources may also assist and inspire you towards creating a more accessible and inclusive experience for your events more generally, for example increasing staff and audience awareness, introducing a more relaxed policy to your screenings, providing quiet spaces or improving signage.
Cinema’s can offer much needed support. The Alzheimer’s Society need organisations to take action and support people affected by dementia to keep them connected to their culture and their community in new and creative ways. Here are some of the key actions they suggest you can do to make a difference to people’s lives:
We would love to know about your film or cinema project at Inclusive Cinema. If you’d like to submit your own case study, please download this Inclusive screening case study template and submit it to includeme[at]filmhubwales.org, so we can share your experiences, too.
A doubleheader of educational special events from Into Film celebrating language, communication and d/Deaf cultural identity. Summary of project The central tenet of the project was to challenge the assumption that accessible cinema screenings need to be separated from mainstream programming. We promoted the events encouraging schools working with d/Deaf or hearing students to attend, … More
Project overview Why the project matters Leigh Film Society are a independent community cinema charity. Established in 2013 we use film screenings to fight against social isolation, create opportunities for young people and support community cohesion. We have many different film screening projects including: Evening Film Society, Afternoon Classic Cinema Club, Annual Short Film Festival, … More
Learning Disability Week 2020 will take place online from 15 to 21 June. The theme of the week is the importance of friendships during lockdown. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have all been living in lockdown. This means that many people with a learning disability are feeling isolated, as they have been unable to see their friends and families. We know that people … More
Learning Disability Week, taking place in the third week of June is presented by Mencap.
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).
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.
Festivals, collectives and organisations in the UK Film and Culture Industries, and Black Cinema and Filmmakers to watch online.
Inclusive Cinema is committed to addressing inequality and promoting diversity in UK cinema exhibition.
We believe that Black Lives Matter, and we are listening, learning and taking action. We continue to read and share resources with the Film Audience Network membership, and use our platform to amplify the work of Black-led organisations, makers and curators.
Black culture is integral to British society and should be woven into our education and cultural understanding all year round, not just for now, but forever. As an opportunity to raise up the stories of those who have been marginalised, we hope this resource can be used as a vehicle to start important conversations and continue creating change – in on-screen representation, recognition of cultural impact, and in delivering a more inclusive future.
Dardishi: Festival of Arab and North African womxn’s art (Glasgow)
Africa in Motion (Glasgow/Edinburgh)
Fringe of Colour (Edinburgh)
African Film Club (Edinburgh)
Fly! Festival of Black Women’s Film (Bristol)
We Are Parable
The New Black Film Collective
The British Blacklist
Come the Revolution
Creative Debuts: Black Artist Grant
Black Ticket Project
Cinema Golau (Wales)
Watch Africa (Wales)
Caramel Film Club (London)
Recognize (Midlands)
CineQ (Midlands)
Mangosteen Media (Manchester/Bolton)
Black Gold Arts (Manchester)
Cables & Cameras (Bristol)
Afrika Eye (Bristol)
Kiki (Bristol)
Black Femme Film (London)
the:nublk
When an issue is shown on TV and in film it can bring it to a wider audience and increase awareness, which is why we love it when caring is depicted on screen.
I have created a video showing a list of films that show some examples on what carers go through, some movies are dramatic with serious content, other films are humorous and there are plenty of films that can be light-hearted as well as heartbreaking.
From Moonlight to Tangerine, celebrate Black History Month with this incredible range of films about the black LGBT experience.
