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Special Screenings to Celebrate Autism Friendly Club’s 10th Anniversary at GFT

World Autism Acceptance Month

Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) has announced two special screenings to mark World Autism Acceptance Month in April, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of Access Film Club, the cinema’s autism-friendly programme. From 7th April.

Delivered in partnership with the National Autistic Society Scotland, GFT’s monthly Access Film Club screenings are designed to engage with anyone aged 15 and over who welcomes a relaxed cinema experience. To ensure the screenings feel as relaxed as possible there are no adverts or trailers before the film; sound levels are turned down slightly lower; and LED stair lights remain on throughout the film. Every screening also includes a friendly post-film discussion. Audience members have access to a Quiet Room and a Calm Kit, which includes a weighted blanket, fidget cubes and stress balls.

Autism Acceptance Month

The Stimming Pool

To mark Autism Acceptance Month, GFT and National Autistic Society Scotland will present a relaxed screening of The Stimming Pool on Monday 7 April. The Stimming Pool is an experimental — at times fantastical — hybrid feature film, co-created by a collective of autistic artists, the Neurocultures Collective, and filmmaker Steven Eastwood, who invite you into a neurodiverse world within the undulating logic of neurotypical environments. Access Film Club host Random Coyle will host a Q&A after the screening with some of the filmmakers behind The Stimming Pool and Suzi Martin from the National Autistic Society Scotland.

Harmonic Spectrum

GFT and National Autistic Society Scotland have also programmed a special edition of Access Film Club to mark the programme’s 10th anniversary in April. The event will begin with a screening of the Scottish BAFTA Award-winning short film Harmonic Spectrum, which documents the journey of young musician Sean Logan as he uses piano to navigate life on the Autistic Spectrum, followed by a Q&A with Logan. The event will conclude with a screening of Wes Anderson’s delightful stop-motion animation Fantastic Mr Fox, selected by Access Film Club regulars through an audience vote.

Fantastic Mr Fox

Access Film Club – Show Times and Tickets

Nicola Scott, Community Engagement Coordinator at GFT, said: ‘When Access Film Club launched 10 years ago it was the first relaxed screening for this age group of its kind in Scotland. Every month we welcome our audience, some regular and some new, to enjoy a film in an environment they can feel comfortable in and chat about the film afterwards with each other and our wonderful host. It was great to see the responses from the poll to choose the film to mark the occasion!’

Suzi Martin from the National Autistic Society Scotland said: ‘It is fantastic to be able to celebrate 10 years of Access Film Club during World Autism Acceptance Month! Autistic people still face so many barriers to participating in their communities and engaging in hobbies like going to the cinema, whether because of stigma and discrimination or inaccessible environments. Initiatives like Access Film Club are so important in promoting autism acceptance, so we’d like to take this opportunity to thank GFT and everyone involved making the club such a success.’

Since it launched in 2015, GFT and National Autistic Society Scotland have programmed over 100 Access Film Club screenings, with over 3,000 admissions. A true pioneer in accessible programming, GFT was the first cinema in Scotland to introduce autism-friendly screenings for children and families with its Take 2 Access programme, and the first UK cinema to win the Autism Friendly Award in 2017.

Access Film Club – Show Times and Tickets

GFT is operated by Glasgow Film, an educational charity which also runs the award-winning Glasgow Film Festival and Glasgow Youth Film Festival, and is the lead organisation for Film Hub Scotland. GFT is the city’s original independent arthouse cinema and the home of film in Glasgow. Glasgow Film is funded by Creative Scotland, Screen Scotland and Glasgow City Council.

GFT, 12 Rose Street, Glasgow G3 6RB

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