Public Engagement
Castle Cinema
Over the last year we have been working with Hackney Circle to give older people access to creative opportunities. As part of this project, we have organised film screenings at The Castle Cinema in Homerton, for local residents.
For the last 5 Wednesdays at 10am we have been screening films chosen by local older Homerton residents. Many of these residents have been from Anchor Hackney Marshes assisted living as we have looked to keep them engaged with the wider area beyond their home. The Castle Cinema have been hugely flexible, letting us proposed films that are both current and old. New ones including Damien Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’ and Raine Allen Miller’s ‘Rye Lane’, as well as some classics such as ‘The Italian Job’ and ‘The Blues Brothers’. These screenings have been completely free for Anchor Housing residents, as well as memebers of the free Hackney Circle scheme which gives older Hackney residents information on services in their area.
Some of the ways we have made the screenings more appropriate for older people, of which some are experiencing dementia, were: A flexible start time, to account for those who may have had any travel issues getting to the venue. Attendees were provided with free tea and coffee, or were equally allowed to bring their own refreshments without worrying about it going against cinema policy. We also made sure seating was completely flexible, with no need for confusing over a seat number, as well as creating an interval in the film for a toilet break and mental pause. In addition to all of this, a representative from Castle Cinema and Engage Here was present to assist anyone who needed any help.
