The delegate of the Government of Spain in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, has approached the film exhibition sector of Andalusia to encourage them to join the Senior Cinema program, an initiative approved last May in the Council of Ministers to encourage people over 65 to access cinemas. This measure, with a budget of 10 million euros, will allow one day a week cinema tickets to cost 2 euros for the more than 9.5 million adults over 65 years of age in all of Spain.
In Andalusia, there are 108 cinemas, distributed by 80 municipalities, which add up to 645 screens, “which means a wide offer distributed throughout the Andalusian territory at the disposal of the group of elderly people”, says the delegate.
49.3% of young people between the ages of 20 and 24 went to the cinema at least once a year between 2021 and 2022, a percentage that falls to 6% in the older population. In addition, according to numerous international institutions such as the OECD and the European Union itself, access to culture is fundamental in achieving an active and healthy ageing process.
“It’s about building public loyalty,” said Pedro Fernández, who recalled that tomorrow the deadline for the cinemas to register for this program ends, which will allow the price of tickets to be reduced for people over 65 years old, who will be able to enjoy a day of cinema at two euros for their ticket.
The Ministry of Culture and Sport has designed the program in collaboration with the main associations of the exhibition sector, to which all interested rooms can adhere if they so wish.
This measure is aligned with the objectives of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Its component 24 aims to facilitate access to culture and promote the transition to the new digital environment that allows the incorporation of new possibilities and realities. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals also recognize the safeguarding and promotion of culture as two goals in themselves.
Likewise, it is necessary to guarantee access to culture in the terms set by the European Commission in its New European Agenda for Culture (2018) in which it is stated that culture is an ideal means to promote social cohesion. In short, it is about facilitating access to culture as an engine of growth.
In this sense, component 25 of the Recovery Plan, Spain Audiovisual Hub, also aims to boost the audiovisual sector.