Outdoor cinema is usually a fairly straightforward proposition: find a patch of grass, bring a blanket, settle in and watch a film under the evening sky.
But what if you don’t want to sit still for two hours? What if the sound is too loud, you need to step away for a while, or you’d simply like to know exactly what you’re walking into before you arrive?
That’s the thinking behind Sensinema, a new inclusive outdoor cinema initiative coming to two Dublin parks this September.
The programme will see Song of the Sea screened at Herbert Park on Saturday, September 12, followed by The Secret of Kells at St Anne’s Park on September 26. Both films come from Kilkenny’s Cartoon Saloon and draw heavily on Irish folklore, mythology and storytelling, making them particularly fitting choices for an outdoor celebration of Irish animation.
But it’s the format of the screenings that sets Sensinema apart.
Developed by Happenings and Neuroconvergence with support from Screen Ireland’s Audience Development Fund, the project is designed to make outdoor cinema more flexible for audiences with different sensory and accessibility needs.
Rather than expecting everyone to experience the event in the same way, Sensinema gives audiences more control over how they participate.
Wireless headphones will allow each person to adjust their own volume, while the relaxed environment means people can move around or take a break from the screening when they need to. An Access Guide will also be available ahead of each event, giving attendees practical information about the venue, facilities, accessibility and sensory environment.
It’s an approach that could be particularly useful for families and neurodivergent audiences, but the idea isn’t to create a separate or segregated cinema experience.
“Enjoying cinema together shouldn’t require everyone to experience it in exactly the same way.” -Peter O’Brien, founder of Happenings and Neuroconvergence.
That philosophy runs through the entire event. Rather than accessibility being something added on afterwards, Sensinema has been designed around the idea that people should have greater choice over how they experience a shared cultural event.
Images credit: Cartoon Saloon
And there’s more happening before the opening credits.
Each afternoon will begin with a short conversation with experts in neurodiversity, alongside live music from members of Kíla. The band has an added connection to the films, having created music for both Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells.
There’s something fitting about taking these particular films into Dublin’s parks, too. Cartoon Saloon’s hand-drawn animation has helped bring Irish folklore to audiences around the world, with both films receiving Academy Award nominations. Seeing them outdoors, surrounded by trees and open space, feels like a natural extension of the worlds they create on screen.
Sensinema is ultimately an experiment in making a familiar experience work for a wider range of people. And rather than asking audiences to adapt themselves to the event, it’s asking whether the event can adapt a little more to its audience.
If the answer is yes, a trip to the cinema might become a little more accessible without becoming any less enjoyable.
- Sensinema: Song of the Sea takes place at Herbert Park on Saturday, September 12, from 3pm to 5.30pm.
- Sensinema: The Secret of Kells takes place at St Anne’s Park on Saturday, September 26, from 3pm to 5.30pm.
Ticket proceeds will support Neuroconvergence’s participating neurodiversity charity partners.
Get tickets: www.happenings.ie
