Our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity
At Happen Films, we’re committed to making our films and this website accessible to everyone and inclusive of all. We’re actively learning in this space and acknowledge all the learning still to come, so let us know how we’re doing.
You can use the form on this page at any time to send us feedback, highlight areas that need more work, and help us better serve your needs!
“Through our work, we want to make a tangible impact. Not just through films that inspire us to live more simply on the planet, but in embracing and encouraging a culture of inclusivity and diversity.”
Antoinette Wilson & Jordan Osmond, Happen Films
More inclusive representation
Part of that commitment is to continuously strive to represent a wider range of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, and physical abilities. We want to more inclusively represent our audience, enable more people to see themselves reflected in our work, and make it easier to access that work.
One step towards this goal has been in making changes to this website to make it more navigable and readable for people of all abilities and preferences, and in all situations. It’s a work in progress, so please bear with us as we learn what is needed to truly meet everyone’s needs!
Audio-described film versions
We’ve also released our first film with audio description (AD). Fools & Dreamers can now be played with full AD, making it more accessible for people with visual impairment or those wanting to listen, not watch.
Play Fools & Dreamers audio description version
Our aim is to continue adding this feature to future films where we can, along with closed captions (CC) in one or more languages, and we’ve already started to build this into film budgets.
Whose stories are ours to tell?
Another step is for us to consider inclusivity as part of the pre-production process for each film, and in how we operate as a company in general.
Whose stories are ours to tell and what is the most appropriate way to tell them? Whose stories are missing from our past work? In what ways can our films express our commitment to being good Treaty partners (Tangata Tiriti) in Aotearoa New Zealand?
We welcome your thoughts about the ways we can achieve these goals, and how you feel about the changes we’re making. All feedback is welcome – use the form on this page at any time. 🙂