Cinemas: Autism-Friendly Screenings
Guidance for cinemas in running AFS.
Whether you are running a specific programme to engage with LGBTQ+ audiences or simply hoping to grow LGBTQ+ representation in your existing screenings, it’s really important to remember some key things to make sure you are sensitively and appropriately programming, promoting, and welcoming audiences in your cinema.
- Work with LGBTQ+ people themselves, whether it’s working with community or national organisations or with people within your own organisation.
- Employ a more diverse workforce at all levels. Welcome diverse groups in your job applications and your mission statements.
- If you can, get training delivered to staff about how to engage sensitively with audiences, and for a better understanding of the experience of LGBTQ+ people.
- Consider that people have multiple identities so communication needs to work for LGBTQ+ people across your whole programme, and don’t presume that you will only have an LGBTQ+ turnout for your targeted programming.
- Get LGBTQ+ people to audit your venue to give feedback about how the space feels, about signage, and about the customer service experience.
- Make sure you take feedback on board and actually use it, and share your reasoning across the organisation.
- Consider the tone of your signage – can you be gender neutral?
- Think about lesser told stories – not just the obvious films… Are you including lesbian and trans stories? Think about the filmmakers and if they have credibility.
- Get LGBTQ+ people to programme and give insights into marketing and audience development. (Best practice with any consultancy is to pay people!)
- Revise your communications with LGBTQ+ insights – what kind of language do you use? Are you welcoming? Is there subtle prejudice in the way you communicate that needs to be considered?
- You’ll need to do more community and social marketing. Engage with charities and relevant LGBTQ+ organisations.
- Use gay bars and clubs/venues and LGBTQ+ centres for your print advertising. If there are Pride events in your calendar, go along…
- Consider your survey. Do you have all the necessary fields for gender and sexuality? It’s a lot better to ask people to self-identify rather than to designate fields around gender.
- Could you be gathering deeper, qualitative, useful feedback – can you make yourself available to audiences for interviews/conversations afterwards?
- Think about opening up a dialogue and your audience will recognise the efforts you are making, and champion you to their networks. Even social media polls can be useful.
- Make it known that you’re trying to improve and willing to listen and learn.
