Last Updated on:
Virgin Atlantic has joined forces with the UK’s Women Over 50 Film Festival (WOFFF) to include dementia-friendly films in their inflight entertainment.
This summer, Virgin Atlantic and the Women Over 50 Film Festival (WOFFF) are collaborating to create a more inclusive travel experience for passengers living with dementia and their companions.
From this month, a selection of short films from WOFFF filmmakers will be available on Vera, the airline’s inflight entertainment system.
The films have been selected with the help of the UK charity Carers UK, aiming to offer a soothing experience for travellers living with dementia.
Nuala O’Sullivan, founder of WOFFF, said, “We’re absolutely delighted to collaborate with Virgin Atlantic to improve the inflight experience for those living with dementia.
“There are 944,000 people living with dementia in the UK and 55 million worldwide. It’s important that they aren’t excluded from participating in everyday life, pursuing hobbies or experiencing travel.
“By expanding their inflight entertainment to include specific films for people living with dementia, Virgin Atlantic is making the magic of cinema accessible to so many more people.”
WOFFF is renowned for showcasing the work of older women in the film industry through its annual film festival. It also screens short films in care homes across the UK and has collaborated with Carers UK to curate the programme for Virgin Atlantic.
Michael Shann of Carers UK commented, “This is a fantastic initiative towards creating more inclusive environments for people living with dementia and their families. We worked with the team at WOFFF to review several of their short films and selected the ones we believe are most appropriate for those living with dementia. We also felt these films could be enjoyed by anyone, so they’re perfect for family members or carers to watch too.”
The selected films are gentle and engaging, utilising music and movement to tell the story, with minimal reliance on dialogue.
From Scottish Ballet’s calming dance film to an animated nature piece with soft, muted colours, each film has been chosen for its ability to captivate and soothe.
The films, all previously shown at the Women Over 50 Film Festival, will be available on Vera from June to December 2024.
Vera’s dementia-friendly short film selection:
Entitled, director Adeyemi Michael
Eulogy for the Dandelion, director Gloria Civantos
Haud Close Tae Me, director Eve McConnachie
The Honeys and Bears, director Veena Rao
Lay Me Low, director Marlene Millar
Old Mother Blackbird, director Sophie Bancroft
Swim, director Maike Mahira Koller
Walks With Me, director Kati Kallio
Sophie Bancroft, director of Old Mother Blackbird, said, “I am thrilled that my short film Old Mother Blackbird is part of this dementia-responsive programme.
“Inspired by an extraordinarily brave and loyal mother blackbird that set up nest in my garden in a wee village south of Edinburgh, Scotland, I’m thrilled to see her universal story of maternal love and family taking flight across the world.”
This dementia-friendly initiative is believed to be the first of its kind on any inflight entertainment system globally. The partnership coincides with Virgin Atlantic’s 40th anniversary, reinforcing its founding mission that everyone can take on the world.
Sharon Noyau, Manager – Inflight Entertainment Content at Virgin Atlantic, stated, “We’re committed to enhancing the travel experience for all customers, and so being able to expand our entertainment options with these thoughtful and inclusive films is something we’re very proud of. We hope our dementia-friendly short film selection will bring joy and comfort to our customers living with dementia and their families as they travel with us.”