Diversity
Our focus is to ensure the next generation of screen creatives are as diverse as our community
Our focus
There has been an increase in the value and appreciation of diverse perspectives in communities, and in storytelling, but there remains a lack of diversity in access to the industry and representation on screen.
There is an emerging appetite for authentic storytelling that comes from lived experiences. Too often stories are told about communities without their input – this can perpetuate negative stereotypes and further reduce opportunities.
We need to ensure the next generation of screen creatives are as diverse as our community. We need to amplify diverse stories made for and by diverse communities.
Our plans
- To amplify diverse stories made for and by diverse communities
- To offer screen career experience and opportunities for gender diverse, LGBTQI+, disabled and people of different ethnicities and backgrounds
- To provide authentic casting and employment in the screen sector
- To develop empathy and understanding of different life experiences through authentic diverse stories
Our actions
We are committed to supporting and promoting screen projects and content that authentically includes or represents our diverse communities and the latest Kiwi films Rūrangi and Poppy are a good example of that.
Rūrangi tells the story of transgender activist Caz Davis who returns to the remote, politically divided dairy community of Rūrangi, hoping to reconnect with his estranged father, while Poppy is about a young woman with Down Syndrome who refuses to be defined or limited by her disability.
In keeping with the production’s focus on empowering young people with disabilities, the Wellington premiere was a fundraiser for Special Olympics and we were thrilled to play a small part in creating a true red carpet gala event for all those attending.
For Rūrangi, we partnered with Victoria University Wellington to provide a special screening and a discussion afterwards with filmmakers and writers Craig Gainsborough, Cole Meyers and Tweedie Waititi. The screening was opened by Green MP Dr Elizabeth Kerekere and organisers ensured Wellington’s many LGBTQI+ community groups were invited to celebrate the occasion.
Read about the filmmaker behind our latest project Diverse Voices: Making Screen Work Different - Pachali Brewster