The National Film and Sound Archives is hosting a dementia-friendly screening of the Australian film The Sapphires on Saturday morning, with tickets still available.
The archives' Karina Libbey said it had partnered with film and mental health experts from the University of New England and the University of NSW to help create a "more inclusive screen culture for older audiences".
The dementia-friendly screening will be at 9.30am on Saturday in the Arc Cinema, the archives hoping it will be first of many similar events.
Ms Libbey said the archives had collaborated with the community, including people with dementia and their carers, to get it right, and would be taking on board any feedback from the inaugural event.
"One of the things that has come through really quickly is that the staff are trained on how to engage and assist with people with dementia," she said.
"People will have their friends and their families and their carers with them, but to make sure our staff know how to engage with people living with dementia, so our front-of-house staff have had training with Dementia Australia.
"And there's things that will make it a bit more of an easy-going screening. They'll be an intermission for anybody who needs a bit of a break and they'll also be a quiet space for people if they need to leave and have a break from the film.
"There's also a lot things around making sure we've got good signage and clear messages.
"There's also been a lot of research into films that work really well. So films that are musicals or have good music in them do a lot to trigger memory. That's why we've gone with The Sapphires.
"And we also want to provide that wholistic experience of going to the cinema. We'll have popcorn there, which provides that smell. And the Arc Cinema is such a nice venue as well because it has that nice art deco feel."
The screening also includes a light morning tea after the movie to encourage social interaction.
Anyone caring for a person living with dementia, can select a complimentary carer ticket when booking on the archives website, thanks to the support of Carers ACT.
Bookings are at www.nfsa.gov.au.
