Lotte Foundation Supports Movie Screening for 160 Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

The Lotte Foundation hosted a movie screening event for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

On May 14, the Lotte Foundation announced that it held the "Shin Kyuk-ho Lotte Open Film Festival" at Lotte Cinema Cheongnyangni in Seoul. The event was attended by 160 individuals, including those with developmental disabilities, their families, and accompanying teachers, who watched two films.

The Shin Kyuk-ho Lotte Open Film Festival was established this year to provide a comfortable environment for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to enjoy movies. People with developmental disabilities can be sensitive to sudden lights and sounds, making it difficult for them to use regular movie theaters.

To address this, the foundation arranged special screenings for individuals with developmental disabilities. Attendees were allowed to move freely and make noise during the screening, while sound levels were lowered and backlighting was kept on to reduce sensory overload.

Jang Hye-seon, chairperson of the Lotte Foundation, stated, "Individuals with developmental disabilities and their families often worry about being restricted in their movements inside theaters and about causing inconvenience to other viewers due to unexpected behaviors. I hope that today, everyone can enjoy the movie comfortably and without concern for those around them."

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 71% of individuals with developmental disabilities require assistance in basic daily living activities. In response, the foundation has been supporting initiatives for individuals with disabilities, including a 100 million won program for daily living education launched in September of last year.