Crafting a cinema for everyone
A North East premiere, a family favourite animation and a craft-a-long screening of an eighties classic are all on the menu - for everyone - next week at Gosforth Civic Theatre.
All three films will be shown throughout Tuesday (Feb 25) and have been programmed by Daydream Cinema - a film exhibition outfit focused on creating accessible screenings, events and programming opportunities for neurodivergent and disabled people.
The films on the stocks for Tuesday’s programme are FernGully: The Last Rainforest; Masters of the Universe featuring He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) and offering the opportunity to craft-a-long (knitting, crochet, paper-based creating etc) while watching the movie; and Fantasy Gets a Mattress, which is getting its first showing in the region.
Each screening will be Relaxed in nature, meaning some low level lighting; slightly lower volume; and high tolerance for a bit of moving around and noise.
They will also have captions and a chill out space for anyone who wants to step out for a break, meanwhile there are also Pay As You Can tickets available as part of Daydream’s mission to make cinema accessible.
While Midnight Memphis, who launched Daydream Cinema in April 2024, is looking forward to all the screenings, they are particularly excited for North East audiences to make the most of a first chance to see “future cult classic” Fantasy Gets a Mattress.
“It’s a hilarious and surreal film featuring an autistic rapper from Seattle called Fantasy A, who becomes homeless after being kicked out of his group home and goes on an odyssey to find the perfect mattress,” said Midnight, who used their experience of working in the independent cinema sector as a neurodivergent and disabled person to develop the idea for doing things differently.
“I worked in local independent cinema for over 18 years across Front of House, programming and projection. I eventually began to specialise in access work due to growing industry awareness of customer demand.
“While I loved the work, I found working in the cinema exhibition industry very difficult due to systemic barriers.
“I had been thinking of setting up as an independent cinema exhibitor since being made redundant from cinema work during the pandemic,” they continued.
“I was also becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of focus on access and inclusion in the industry - it’s often tagged on in a tokenistic way, which doesn’t support the work in the long run.”
As well as being programmed for neurodivergent and disabled film fans, Daydream Cinema screenings have also been either created, programmed by and/or star neurodivergent people.
“We work with film exhibitors, health and social care partners, community organisations and neurodivergent and disabled people to find ways of making film screenings and events more accessible,” says Midnight.
“There needs to be an increase of different types of screenings to give audiences choice and explore how people with a range of access requirements can enjoy cinema together.”
Always looking for more accessible venues to work with, Daydream Cinema screenings are being planned for Newcastle City Library in March featuring a selection of short films by neurodivergent filmmakers.
“We also aim to present the screening online for people who can't make it in person or live further afield.”
Going forward, Midnight says the aim is to partner with more organisations which focus on working with neurodivergent people and are interested in projects exploring cinema, film and access.
“I also want to connect with venues who are hoping to improve their accessibility in a holistic way.”
In the meantime, the best way to support what they’re doing is to go along to a screening to “enjoy a real community event”.
“And if you can’t make it, share on your social media or spread the word to people and groups who you think would be interested in getting involved!”
Details of the upcoming screenings on February 25 can be found on the Gosforth Civic Theatre website. Keep an eye on the Daydream Cinema website for future events.