Over the course of this year, Film Hub South East is running a series of free training sessions to support our members in their work to grow audiences for independent film in the region.
Dementia Friendly Screenings Training Session
Thursday, 27 February – 10:30 to 12:30 – Free
For our final event in the programme, we’re focussing on audience development by looking at dementia-friendly screenings.
To introduce the subject, we are welcoming Dr MaoHui Deng (Lecturer in Film Studies, University of Manchester), who will guide us through how films and the cinematic experience can be utilised to support people living with dementia. Following this, we will look at a case study from the region through the work of Mike Riddiford (Volunteer, Ropetackle Arts Centre), who has been running their successful Dementia Film Project for over five years. This session will include practical advice on how you can reach new audiences and give you the confidence to support dementia-friendly screenings.
Registration for this event will close on Wednesday 26th February.
Speakers
Mike Riddiford
Volunteer, Ropetackle Arts Centre
After working in a variety of settings and countries, including Africa and various European locations, I moved to Shoreham just prior to retirement. Preparing for an enjoyable retirement, I became a volunteer for Ropetackle Arts Centre. This gave me purpose and a chance to meet new friends. When I was recruited to the Ropetackle Film Club Committee, I became involved in many of the tasks necessary to advance the provision of films and ensure their accessibility for all. Taking skills from my previous position as Sales and Contracts Manager, which included managing projects from start to finish and working with a variety of personnel, I volunteered to lead a project for films for those with memory loss. I obtained the necessary grant to continue into a second series of films. The “Relaxed Films” volunteer group grew, and the project flourished. Steering the project forward with further grants and developments, and taking ideas from both the visitors and volunteers, are enabling the Dementia Film Project to continue successfully. It is thoroughly enjoyed by both the visitors and the volunteering team.
Dr MaoHui Deng
Lecturer, Film Studies, University of Manchester
MaoHui Deng is Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Manchester. He is the author of Ageing, Dementia and Time in Film: Temporal Performances (2023, Edinburgh University Press), which won Runner-Up in the 2024 British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies (BAFTSS) Best First Monograph category. He has also published chapters on films about dementia in The Routledge Companion to European Cinema (Routledge), Contemporary Narratives of Ageing, Illness, Care (Routledge), and The Politics of Dementia (De Gruyter). He is currently working on a project on cinema, dementia, and decoloniality.