in Montreuil, cinema screenings adapted to people with disabilities

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Before the room is plunged into darkness, laughter rings out, a few clicks of the tongue are heard and some rows are agitated. Wednesday November 13, 2024, at the Le Méliès cinema in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis), a screening is taking place with a little extra something.

Thanks to the Ciné relax initiative, screenings are adapted to people with disabilities or whose “state of health can lead to a atypical behavior », specifies Amar Nafa, general delegate of the Culture relax association at Paris news.

Avoid derogatory comments and sighs

“Thanks to these sessions, we go to see a film every two months with the young people from our association. Cinema is for everyone,” says Maria Diagana, medical-psychological assistant. This Wednesday, she supports thirty-year-olds with mental disabilities.

Here, no sideways glances if one of the young people shouts or laughs too loudly, no derogatory comments or sighs. Screenings labeled Ciné Relax are also accessible to people who do not have a disability. “We make them aware at the entrance. We explain to them that the session is likely to be more lively than usual and in the vast majority of cases, that doesn’t bother them,” says Patrick, a volunteer at Culture Relax for three years and a big movie buff.

The relaxation of codes and an army of volunteers

Blue chasuble on his back, he has just welcomed Isabelle, won over by the device. “If someone speaks, it’s not dramatic. And then we can all have this kind of problem one day or another,” she philosophizes.

Concretely, what are the particularities of these sessions? “Ciné relax rests on three pillars,” explains Amar Nafa. Lrelaxation of codes of a classic session, the awareness of the public and a team of volunteers ».

The latter remain in the room throughout the screening and are available to “accompany spectators to their seats, to the toilets, or to reassure them if necessary”, continues the general delegate.

The association has nearly 800 volunteers and continues to recruit. “A season lasts from September to June, with one session per month. We train them so that they have the right posture and the right reflexes to adopt during projections, adds Amar Nafa. No special skills are required, neither in the health field nor in the cinematographic field. Only goodwill counts. »

Sessions throughout France

As for the films shown, the programming depends on the partner theater. From art house cinema to multiplexes, the choice is varied. At Méliès, accessibility representative Victor Courgeon opts for feature films in French. “Movies quite calm because some people can be put in difficulty when there is too much action, too much noise… We mainly focus on documentaries and animated films,” he adds.

If the association was born in Paris in 2005, the Relaxed Cinema sessions have spread throughout Francesuch as in Caen (Calvados), in Tourcoing (North), in Brest (Finistère), in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime). In Île-de-France, there is no shortage of partner cinemas in Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and even Val-de-Marne.

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