September is World Alzheimer’s Month, with World Alzheimer’s Day on 21 September. It’s a chance to start conversations, raise awareness, and break the silence around dementia.
Nearly 50 million people worldwide live with dementia. It affects daily life in countless ways, and stigma remains a barrier. This month is about understanding those challenges and showing how we can support people to live well. Learn more and get involved via the Alzheimer’s Society.
We can all play a role—by sharing information, joining the Dementia Friends movement, or simply talking openly with friends and family.
Film has the power to connect, inspire, and include. Dementia-friendly cinema screenings create a welcoming space for people living with dementia and their families. Screenings are adapted for comfort and accessibility, offering the joy of cinema in a relaxed setting.
The UK Cinema Association, Alzheimer’s Society, and FAN have worked with venues nationwide to support these screenings.
Looking to run your own? Explore our training and resources to help you plan. Many of the ideas also work for making your wider film events more inclusive—through staff awareness, relaxed screenings, quiet spaces, or better signage.
Cinemas and cultural organisations can also reach people at home. The Alzheimer’s Society suggests:
Do you run dementia-friendly film events? We’d love to hear from you. Download our Inclusive screening case study template and send it to includeme[at]filmhubwales.org so we can showcase your work.
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
When did racism start, and why? Who invented the very notion of being “white,” or “black,” and why did they do so? Journalist and documentary podcaster John Biewen looked into these questions, and he argues that the answers could transform our approach to solving racial injustice.
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
Fagony Aunt Aisha Mirza answers your queeries about QTIBPOC life. This month, they discuss how to be a better ally to your black friends.
In January 2014 we asked 10 writers on their opinions for terms and classifications used to describe traditionally marginalised people in the West. These were collected in our article series ‘Ethnic Minority? No, Global Majority’, Parts One and Two. Since then the debate has raged on both sides of the pond.
In the film Get Out (2017), an African American man meets his white girlfriend’s family for the first time. Despite the warm, generous welcome he receives he knows that something is amiss, it’s just off. The film turns into a biting satire on parasitic consumption of African American culture and the violence of liberal racial … 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.
To be clear, Black Lives Matter. To be crystal clear, Site Gallery is an actively anti-racist space.
