Virgin Atlantic has launched a second season of dementia-friendly short films on the airline's inflight entertainment system, becoming one of the first airlines worldwide to cater specifically for passengers living with cognitive conditions. Olivia Palamountain reports

Virgin Atlantic's curation of dementia-friendly short films, developed in partnership with the Women Over 50 Film Festival (WOFFF), is back for a second season.

The first series has been watched more than 60,000 times since its June 2024 debut, prompting the airline to expand the collection with nine new films designed for travellers with dementia and their companions.

The selection features gentle soundtracks, simple storylines and calming visuals across a mix of animation, dance, poetry and documentary formats. Each film includes specific guidance for dementia patients, highlighting elements that may spark memories or provide soothing experiences.

"The response to our dementia-friendly film collection has been incredible, and we couldn't be more delighted to continue this partnership with WOFFF," says Sharon Noyau, manager of inflight entertainment content at Virgin Atlantic. "Our customers have told us how meaningful it is to have content that can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of cognitive ability."

The new collection includes nine films ranging from experimental pieces to documentaries:

And Yet (Experimental) - directed by Lucretia Knapp and Lynne Yamamoto, featuring "kitchen dancing" that may spark memories of dancing with loved ones.

Call of the Cranes (Experimental) - directed by Vilma Tihilä, showing people gathering and dancing in response to bird calls in Finnish countryside.

Clearing (Experimental) - directed by Karen Kaeja, featuring a woman dancing on a snowy Canadian morning with a simple black, white and yellow colour scheme.

Magicland (Documentary) - directed by Celia Willis and Emily Stein, following Jenny Myers, the first Black woman invited into the Magic Circle.

The Past Is Another Country (Documentary) - directed by Magda Rakita, featuring 76-year-old Bridget Sojourner reflecting on fashion and life.

The Piano Forest (Documentary) - directed by Eva Sjöblom and Åsa Linder, exploring an art installation of pianos placed in a Swedish forest.

Treasure (Animation) - directed by Samantha Moore, connecting a mother's love through the ages in the Shropshire hills.

Wait a Minute (Experimental) - directed by Marta Renzi, showing people dancing and playing on a sunny pier.

You Can't Shrink Love (Documentary) - directed by Veena Rao, following artist Lucy Francis who crafts tiny, lifelike dogs.

The programme has drawn praise from unexpected quarters, including medical professionals who discovered it during flights. Ipsit Vahia, chief of the Division of Geriatric Psychiatry at McLean Hospital, highlighted the initiative on LinkedIn after encountering it during a nine-hour Virgin Atlantic flight.

"Being 7 hours into a 9-hour flight, it made me think about what it is like for someone with dementia and their carers to take a long-distance flight," Vahia wrote. "In that moment, I felt relieved on their behalf that their needs were considered by the airline."

Samantha Moore, director of Treasure, brings personal experience to the programme. "My mum had early onset dementia, and our experience was that she retained a lot of emotional intelligence, despite losing so much," Moore says. "Music, images, colour, and texture remained potent connectors between us, and I hope that these films will similarly connect with a curious and friendly audience."

Nuala O'Sullivan, founder of WOFFF, emphasises the broader impact of accessible entertainment. "Cinema has the power to connect us, to calm us, and to bring joy," she says. "We're honoured to keep working with Virgin Atlantic to ensure that everyone, including those living with dementia, can share in the magic of film, wherever they are in the world."

The films are designed to be played on loop, taking rapid forgetting into consideration, and feature content specifically chosen to engage dementia patients in calming ways. The collaboration represents a rare example of airlines addressing the needs of passengers with cognitive conditions, an often-overlooked demographic in travel accessibility initiatives.

Virgin Atlantic's Vera entertainment system now hosts the expanded collection, making the airline a pioneer in dementia-inclusive inflight entertainment and potentially setting a precedent for industry-wide accessibility improvements.