Judge's comments:

Heroes an underrepresented sector of the population within an industry. Elevating the lived experience of talent with authenticity. Confident, stylish and contemporary.

Description:

What we put on stage and screen matters.


Yet despite the wealth of talent available, roles written for People of Colour, Rainbow, or Disabled characters are still too often handed to actors without the lived experience to carry them.

The result? Representation with no authenticity.

It was a pattern playing out globally – one we began tracking in 2022, as headlines and casting controversies piled up. But it wasn’t just overseas. The same issues were surfacing here in Aotearoa – across briefs, auditions, and entire productions. Different projects, same problem.

BEINGS is the response – our vision, brought to life through a platform we designed and built from the ground up. With firsthand experience behind the camera, and deep knowledge of the challenges underrepresented actors face during casting, we secured government funding to build something the industry hadn’t.

A purpose-built tool to explore, discover, and cast actors whose lived experience brings depth, nuance, and honesty to roles. Because real stories deserve real voices.

Tātou tātou. Nothing about us, without us.