Croatian cinema to hold a sensory friendly screening on 24 April

Children with mental health difficulties will be able to enjoy a stress-free cinematic experience

The Velebit Cinema will hold a sensory friendly screening of Tom and Jerry (2021) on 24 April, reported the Croatian City of Koprivnica. During this projection, children will be allowed to walk around as well as bring their favourite toys, snacks, and blankets.

What is a sensory friendly screening?

The typical cinema environment can be extremely stressful for viewers with sensory sensitivities. A sensory friendly screening, on the other hand, is one that considers all the needs and requirements of such viewers in order to create a space that makes them feel safe and secure.   

In other words, it makes the cinematic experience accessible to them by lowering the volume of the audio, keeping the lights on, and allowing viewers to move around. For this reason, Koprivnica notes that the screening at the Velebit Cinema will take place under the motto of “Cinema for all and accessible to all”.  

Taking this further, the City of Koprivnica reports that it is facilitating the experience for both children and their parents. Usually, parents are overwhelmed by anxiety and worry as they cannot be certain how their child will react to the film’s content. In this case, the film (Tom and Jerry) has been carefully chosen to meet the necessary criteria for a sensory friendly experience.

It must be noted that the global pandemic has also made life even more challenging for children with mental health difficulties. The City of Koprivnica explains that this is another reason why it is crucial to hold this screening and allow viewers with sensory sensitivities to experience cinema as a “therapeutic place” during these challenging times.

Although admission to the Tom and Jerry screening will be free, the number of tickets will be limited due to the epidemiological situation. Therefore, people must register their interest by sending an email to info@pou-kop.hr.