Stims was founded in 2024 by a collective of film scholars, journalists and filmmakers, with a mission to create and curate relaxed spaces for neurodiverse audiences.

For us, going to cinemas, galleries and concert venues has never been a straightforward experience. We identified a lack of conversation surrounding how to make these spaces comfortable and inspiring environments for those with specific access needs, and a lack of inclusivity in discussions about cultural spaces in general.

Stims seeks to offer an alternative way of being in the world, for neurodivergent people, by neurodivergent people. We aim to curate and signpost regular Relaxed Events in venues across the UK, encouraging discussions that explore film, art and music through the lens of neurodivergent experience. 

We believe that cultural spaces should be accessible to all, and that neurodivergent people should be at the forefront of creating spaces for neurodiverse audiences.

Meet the Collective

  • Lillian Crawford

    FILM AND CULTURE WRITER

    Lillian Crawford is a freelance film and culture writer for publications including Sight & Sound, Little White Lies, Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, A Rabbit’s Foot, and BBC Culture. She has previously been a co-host of the Autism Through Cinema podcast. Lillian is currently working on a PhD on Screen Two and the transition from the British television play to film with the BBC and Royal Holloway University of London.

  • Georgia Kumari Bradburn

    FILMMAKER AND WRITER

    Georgia Kumari Bradburn has directed several short films that have screened across the globe, going on to co-direct “The Stimming Pool”, a feature that has screened at festivals such as CPH:DOX and London Film Festival. Previously an Autism Through Cinema podcast co-host, she is interested in ideas of stimming, phenomenology and transformation onscreen, aiming to champion autistic representation behind the camera.

  • Sam Chown Ahern

    FILMMAKER AND VISUAL ARTIST

    Sam Chown Ahern is a visual artist working in the mediums of film, illustration, photography, and audio. She has had work shown at Camden Arts Centre and was a member of The Barbican Young Visual Arts Group. In 2018, Sam co-presented the Channel 4 documentary “Are You Autistic?” alongside Georgia Harper. Sam co-directed “The Stimming Pool” and is a member of The Neurocultures Collective."