Film sessions that are respectful of autistic people
Summary
Sensory friendly screenings were born in Europe, specifically in the United Kingdom, in the mid-to-late 2000s, by autistic support groups and organizations. The cinema chain Vue Cinemas and the National Autistic Society (NAS) in the United Kingdom are often cited as key players in introducing regular screenings of sensory friendly films for audiences with autism.
Relaxed cinema sessions were born as a response to a need expressed by many families with children with autism. Often, these families avoid going to the cinema for fear of experiencing uncomfortable situations derived from certain behaviors of their children, such as having to constantly apologize to the audience or dealing with the sensory overload that can occur in these spaces. Given this reality, the importance of offering a more accessible, inclusive and respectful environment with the sensory and communicative diversity of people with autism and their families became evident.
The relaxed sessions seek to offer a cinema session open to everyone but with sensitivity towards the sensory needs of autistic people.
The format proposed in the United Kingdom includes the following aspects:
- Keep the lights low (not completely dark).
- Reduced sound volume.
- Absence of trailers and advertising.
- Allow attendees to move, talk or make noise during the film.
- There is often a quiet area available.
In Spain, the dissemination was initially driven by specific social projects before the large chains began to adopt it at a national level.
Cognitive accessibility, a right for all people
Under the slogan "Cinema for everyone", in 2015, the association Aprenem Autisme emulated the United Kingdom's proposal and held the first "autism friendly" film screening in Spain, at the Gran Via 2 cinemas in Barcelona. This initiative aimed to demonstrate that ordinary screenings can be much more inclusive and accessible , simply by adapting the screening conditions to the needs of people with autism.
The purpose of this first session was to offer a family cinema activity open to everyone, but with a specific sensitivity towards the needs of the autistic group .
Relaxed cinema is a co-created design, based on the joint work of professionals specialized in autism and film professionals, which has the validation of families, children and young people with autism. This experience helped to anticipate and correct all those factors that could stress people with autism who go to ordinary cinema sessions, while offering a close and pleasant experience for everyone.
Ordinary sessions can be much more inclusive and accessible, simply by adapting the exhibition conditions to the needs of people with autism.
One of the aspects of improvement that was included, with respect to the recommendations for the relaxed sessions in the United Kingdom, was the creation of informative material in anticipation of access to the space and basic information about the film, a key element for the experience to be more intimate and successful. Anticipation helps people with autism to prepare for a new situation, to get to know a space before accessing it to convey security to them. All the elements of a relaxed session have a positive impact on the well-being of the autistic person, which, in turn, results in the well-being of their family and companions and improves their quality of life.
Following in the footsteps of the United Kingdom and Aprenem Autisme , the VenTEA initiative emerged, often cited as one of the pioneers and most visible in Spain. It was founded in 2017 in Madrid with the aim of offering a normalised leisure activity for the autistic community and their families. Its success served as a model and inspiration for other cinemas and cities where relaxed cinema sessions are now held regularly, generally once a month.
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A relaxed and accessible film festival
In the emerging relaxed cinema movement in Spain, it is also worth highlighting the contribution of the Festival Inclús (Barcelona International Festival of Cinema and Disability). It is one of the key organizations that promotes relaxed cinema sessions and universal accessibility to the cinematographic field in Spain, especially in Catalonia.
The Inclús Festival is not only an event that screens works about functional diversity, but it also strives to make its own screenings as accessible as possible, guaranteeing an inclusive experience for all audiences .
In the same vein of commitment to accessibility, the festival has brought the concept of relaxed sessions to wider and more diverse audiences. For example, it has promoted relaxed sessions not only for people with autism, but also for groups such as people with Alzheimer's or with visual and hearing disabilities , through audio description and subtitling services.
The Inclús Festival not only offers its own adapted sessions, but also works to ensure that universal accessibility becomes a standard in other festivals and cinemas.
Nowadays, these sessions are offered, although with different names (relaxed cinema, quiet cinema, inclusive cinema, adapted cinema, etc.), in many European countries, either by large cinema chains or by independent cinemas in collaboration with associations.
Accessibility to leisure spaces is a matter of rights and relaxed cinema sessions are a key element in exercising these rights and ensuring the participation of people with autism. These sessions eliminate the sensory and social barriers of a traditional cinema screening and transform a potential source of anxiety into a positive and shared experience for the autistic person and their companions.
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