Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Sensory Friendly Film Screenings

Got this email through a local group:
Subject: Autism Society of America and AMC Entertainment to Host Films

AMC Entertainment (AMC) and ASA have teamed up to begin testing a pilot program to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis.

"Sensory Friendly Films" premiered across the country last August, and are continuing with a special showing of the new film Bolt for December.

For these movies the lights are up a little, the sound is down, there is no "silence is golden" rule, and people can bring in special dietary snacks.
An interesting experiment, similar to Parent Movie Mornings at some theatres on weekday mornings, where babies are welcome instead of frowned upon, secure stroller parking is offered, and the volume is down. And no doubt any such realistic accommodations are a godsend for many families.

But once again, the sensory-friendly screenings are targeting families and showing kid movies at this pilot stage, rather than imagining there are adults who might also like to "enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment" that includes lower volume and BYO snacks. These conditions don't have to be "special" or just for children--they might be appreciated by a much wider audience if the option were offered.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I for one certainly would!

Plus, I want more movies that are open-captioned. You don't have to be deaf or have severe hearing loss to benefit from OC movies. (And no, I hate the "rear window" thing you stick on your chair arm to capture the otherwise-hidden captions; it's hard to watch the movie and view it simultaneously.)

andrea

(hah! the CAPCHA word is "sessing", almost like sensory...)

yanub said...

I would love to be able to go to the movies without my ears hurting from the sound. And my daughter would like to see a film with the house lights on so that she would be less prone to having a seizure response. It's been years since she has seen a film in the theater. We'd also like to be able to go to restaurants without having to first scout them for visual and noise pollution. There are a lot of people who are sensitive to sensory input, and not even the majority have autism, so I can only hope this trend catches on.

(My capcha is sencesse. Looks to be a trend.)

Never That Easy said...

I agree: I very rarely get to the movies because there are just too many obstacles to my actually enjoying the movie, including the loudness of the sound (I actually wear earplugs, which my family finds hilarious).

I do think that it's a great idea, and am glad that they've started it, but they should know that there's a wider audience for this type of thing.

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