Call Us CRIPtic
Client: Arts Council England, Barbican, & CRIPtic Arts
CRIPtic Arts is an arts organisation creating opportunities and changing the industry for deaf and disabled creatives. In 2022, they were named as one of the 25 most influential disabled-led community organisations in the Disability Power 100.
Alongside their community and advocacy work, CRIPtic produces original work by deaf and disabled creatives, develops and showcases artists, with a flagship annual show at the Barbican.
Having received an Arts Council grant to conduct research by practice into the industry barriers emerging d/Deaf and disabled theatre creatives face, Fig Films was brought on to produce and co-direct the artistic docufilm element of the project. The film followed the group of disabled artists who were performing at the CRIPtic/Barbican showcase, with a focus on the political and intersectional framing of d/Deafness and disability through the work of these creatives. The edit was a combination of observed behind the scenes footage of putting the show together, as well as intimate interviews which also looked at how ableism had impacted these artists’ careers. A key part of our remit was to ensure that the film team were majority disabled, in order to avoid the non-disabled gaze, as well as ensuring the artists lead on how they wanted their work and story to be portrayed, and that the production was operating at gold standard in terms of disability access.
Alongside being sent out to CRIPtic’s vast network of disabled creatives and arts organisations, the film screened at:
Tate Modern (special event around art and access)
BFI Busting the Bias Festival