(Image Credit: Kent Simmonds/CFJC Today)

By Victor Kaisar

Accessible Movies

Kamloops Film Society hosting first-ever sensory-friendly movie screening on April 18

Apr 2, 2026 | 12:56 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Film Society is preparing to host its first-ever sensory-friendly movie screening at the Paramount Theatre in a little over two week’s time.

The April 18 event is being organized in partnership with the Canucks Autism Network and Kamloops-based Social Butterflies. It will feature a screening of Inside Out but with a few adjustments to make it more accessible.

“We’ve been wanting to do sensory friendly screenings for the past year,” Kamloops Film Society executive director Colette Abbott told CFJC Today.

“We’ll have slightly less dimmed lights, we’ll have lowered audio and the expectation that you have to sit in your seat for the entire movie, we’ll let that slide. People are free to move around and leave the cinema and come back as they need to.”

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The movie will start at 2:00 p.m., but Abbott says people can stop by an hour earlier to enjoy activities like free face painting and to connect with representatives from the Canucks Autism Network and Social Butterflies.

“We know how important it is for families to feel welcomed and included in their communities,” Colleen Ryan, the Kamloops and Kelowna Regional Manager at the Canucks Autism Network, said in a statement. “Sensory-friendly events like this create meaningful opportunities for connection, allowing individuals to participate in experiences that might otherwise feel out of reach.”

“We believe every child deserves the opportunity to enjoy a family movie day in a safe and inclusive environment,” added Nicole Grocock, a certified behaviour analyst with Social Butterflies. “We hope to plan many more similar events in the future to allow families to access community events.” 

Abbott added there will also be a limited number of sensory bags with headphones and sunglasses available along with other supports – like fidget toys – at the Paramount to make people feel more at ease.

“We want everyone to be able to enjoy cultural experiences like going to the movies but what’ve learned is there are some families and some children that just don’t go because that traditional cinema setting just doesn’t work for people with diverse sensory needs,” Abbott said.

“It’s really hard for some people to sit in a dark, loud movie cinema and to be quiet for that entire time. So this just increases the accessibility of the movie going experience for the community.”

The event is free, though people are asked to reserve a ticket by going online here.