For the last few years, the messages about disability have promoted the ability in disability. Yes, people with disability can do remarkable things. But that doesn’t mean that their lives are always rosy. The painful exclusion from everyday activities experienced by people with disabilities is exposed in a striking visual metaphor by agency, Babel, for the French disability association, APF France.
The Fall shows the anguish experienced by a wheelchair user, including inaccessible shelves in supermarkets, job interview rejection and limited health care support. Each set-back triggers a flash-back to the moment of his accident when he fell backwards down a long flight of stone steps.
The film was directed by young Franco-British talent, James Maciver, and is running on TV in France and in digital.
The protagonist role is played by dancer, Hamid Allouache, a former stage manager for Le Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris who has been paraplegic since 2016 when he suffered a spinal injury. He still dances, and did so for choreographers, Akram Khan and Sadeck (Waff) Berrabah for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
The campaign launched for International Human Rights Day, to show that preconceived ideas, obstacles and exclusions from everyday life in society are a serious issue for people with disabilities, preventing them from having the same rights and opportunities as others.
“Exclusion and everyday obstacles are all moments during which people with disabilities are forced to face their disability. It feels like a perpetual return to square one, which prevents them moving forward in life. This is what we wanted to express and fight, with this symbolic idea of The Fall which is repeated over and over,” explained Jean-Laurent Py, creative director, Babel.
Credits
Creative Agency: Babel
Creative Director: Jean-Laurent Py
Artistic Director: Julian Brice
Copywriter: Fred Lutgé
Head of TV & TV Production: Jeanne Halfon, Oriana Berzig
Brand Manager: Matthieu Angevin
Project Director: Pauline Leborgne
Production Company: Animal Animal
Director: James Maciver
Producers: Vincent Thiesset & Noé Lefebvre
Post-Production & SFX: Reepost
Sound: Bel Air Paris
