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Watch all of Happen Films documentaries about simple living, sustainable living, community resilience. ALL FILMS Browse all films Here you'll find all the films we've released since 2015 – short films, mid-length films, feature films. Our films cover a huge variety of topics under the Happen Films umbrella themes of community resilience, living simply, and transitioning to a more beautiful world. There's something here for everyone! Support our work Filter options: Use the buttons below to filter the list of films. You can select more than one option, and click again to deselect. Mid-length (21–40 mins) Short (0–20 mins) Feature (+40 mins) Community Economy Farming Food & Gardening Homes & Building Mindfulness Permaculture Regenerating Nature Simple Living Urban Living Zero Waste Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste The New Peasants 60 mins A new feature film releasing in June 2025 about the philosophy and lifestyle choices of an Australian family living profoundly simply. Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Permaculture The Plummery, 5-year Revisit 12 mins In this film we revisit The Plummery, the 100sq/m backyard garden in inner-city Melbourne where Kat Lavers lives and gardens. Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening, Community Rongoā Māori 11 mins Rongoā is the healing practice and an essential element of the worldview of Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Simple Living, Permaculture, Community, Urban Living A Day in the Life of Woody 12 mins A Day in the Life of Woody showcases the unschooled life of 11-year-old Blackwood, a boy who has been schooled from home all his life. Mindfulness Flute Making and Human Making 17 mins A mediation on the unexpected similarities to be found between making a beautiful Japanese shakuhachi flute and making a beautiful human. Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Economy, Urban Living Being the Change at 85 13 mins Helen Dew is an 85-year-old activist with a passion for gardening, community resilience, biochar, seed saving and living simply. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living The City Food Commons 12 mins The commons has been an almost-forgotten concept, and yet once provided so much community resilience. This film showcases a new approach. Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building, Community Strawbale Dream Home 25 mins Follow Adam and Sian as they build their traditional timber frame home combining timber joinery, strawbale and cob. Zero Waste, Urban Living, Simple Living The Rubbish Trip 17 mins What does it mean to be on the zero waste journey? And why is it important for us each to take personal responsibility for our waste? Zero Waste, Community, Urban Living, Food & Gardening Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story 39 mins Follow the remarkable journey of a passionate man making composting at a community-wide scale not just a dream but the real thing. Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening Fishing for the Future 17 mins A small-scale, thoughtful and ethical approach to fishing our oceans is possible – this family is leading the way. Permaculture, Food & Gardening, Urban Living, Regenerating Nature Growing Wild Together 16 mins We revisit the food forest we filmed five years ago to discover what's changed and how much more wild it's all become – plants and people! Food & Gardening, Community, Permaculture, Urban Living Together We Grow: The Story of Common Unity 39 mins Learn the variety of ways this community comes together to help those in need to have access to great food and meaningful connections Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture Hua Parakore 8 mins Hua Parakore encapsulates the principles behind growing food from a te ao Māori – Māori worldview perspective. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature The Food Forest Farmers 24 mins What role do humans play in Earth's ecosystems and how can we be good stewards of the land? This film showcases syntropic farming as a way. Community, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Farming From Weedy Forests to Grassy Woodlands 12 mins A film exploring how the simple practice of grazing goats on wild lands can lead to a healthier forest and a more connected community. Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Farming Limestone Permaculture Tour #3 17 mins Our second film with Brett and Nici of Limestone Permaculture, and the third film in our Permaculture Tours series. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature Melliodora Tour 11 mins A tour of David Holmgren and Su Dennett's 1-hectare permaculture paradise – explore the home and garden of the co-founder of permaculture. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living An Invitation for Wildness 20 mins The Guytons have made a name for themselves as forest gardeners. In this first of two films we tour the forest when it is 23 years old. Regenerating Nature, Simple Living Fools & Dreamers 30 mins Does regenerating a native forest mean hundreds of staff or volunteers planting individual tress? What about leaving it to nature? Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living A Life with Less Waste 8 mins What secrets does this family hold to reducing individual impact on the planet by reducing family waste streams? Permaculture, Food & Gardening How to Make Seaweed Gomasio 11 mins A step by step guide to foraging for edible seaweeds at your local beach and making gomasio to season your meals. Permaculture, Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Urban Living The Plummery 8 mins Find out how to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables even when you have a tiny backyard garden in the middle of a busy city. Permaculture, Simple Living, Urban Living, Zero Waste, Food & Gardening, Community, Economy Degrowth in the Suburbs 15 mins What does sustainable living in the city look like? This film explores the different methods one family employs to reduce their impact. Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Urban Living Abdallah House 14 mins A tour of a very small urban section that has been developed using permaculture principles to make best use of the space. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living Creatures of Place 12 mins This family live an incredibly simple life, yet they have an abundance in so many things – food, community, time to create a beautiful life. Community, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living, Permaculture, Economy, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Zero Waste Living the Change 86 mins Living the Change is a feature-length documentary that explores solutions to the global crises we face today. Farming, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature Restoring Paradise 8 mins A short film showcases Mangarara Farm, where holistic grazing practices are regenerating the land to the biodiverse fields that once were. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture The Future of Food 5 mins Frank and Josje discuss Community Supported Agriculture as a sustainable and viable food system for the future. Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste Closing the Loop 7 mins Learn about how this couple manages their composting toilet, why it's so important, and how easy it is! Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Urban Living Urban Abundance 5 mins This couple have turned their urban back yard into beautiful neat rows of market garden and help others to garden in their own back yards. Simple Living, Homes & Building The Handmade Housetruck 12 mins Explore the simple life and beautiful home of this couple in their beautiful off-grid handmade tiny house truck, built with love and skill. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building Living Simply in an Off-Grid Tiny House 6 mins Living simply in just 20 square metres this family has found a different way of living that helps them to feel more sustained and content. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste A Simpler Way 78 mins What would it look like to live within Earth's available resources? This group came together to explore a one-world-footprint lifestyle. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Economy From Finance to Farmer 15 mins Explore the beautiful food forest Andrew Martin has created from a paddock of grass, and learn all the reasons why he's doing so. Simple Living, Homes & Building Off-Grid Tiny House on Wheels 17 mins This 17-minute tiny house tour takes us through all the highs and lows of building a tiny house on wheels. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Urban Living The Food Is Free Laneway 4 mins A film showcasing Lou and the Food is Free Laneway she initiated alongside her house, following the principles of #foodisfree. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture Purple Pear Permaculture Farm 6 mins A tour of Purple Pear Farm, where permaculture principles and biodynamic farming guide the management of gardens and animals. Community, Simple Living, Permaculture, Homes & Building, Zero Waste $420 Tiny House 4 mins This film showcases the build of a very tiny house, built using reclaimed materials by a couple with no previous building experience. Simple Living, Homes & Building Earthbag Timelapse 2 mins A 3-minute time lapse showing the build of an earthbag tiny house built by unskilled labourers at Wurruk'an, in Gippsland, Australia. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature Limestone Permaculture Tour #1 13 mins The first of two Happen Films tours of well known Limestone Permaculture Farm, where an abundance of food and medicine is grown on 1 acre. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building Building a Beautiful, Rustic Tiny House 8 mins Meet Taj as she gives a tour and describes living simply in this 10 sq metre tiny house built using reclaimed materials. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living Agari Permaculture Farm 4 mins A short film showcasing Agari Permaculture Farm, a place for exploring natural building and permaculture.

Food Waste Recycling Through Community Composting Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story Other films you might like Permaculture, Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Urban Living 39 mins The Plummery Find out how to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables even when you have a tiny backyard garden in the middle of a busy city. Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste 39 mins Closing the Loop Learn about how this couple manages their composting toilet, why it's so important, and how easy it is! Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Economy 39 mins From Finance to Farmer Explore the beautiful food forest Andrew Martin has created from a paddock of grass, and learn all the reasons why he's doing so. Share your thoughts about the film Ben & bEartha Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ @iloveowls8748 “ @turtle2212 “ @helenmcgill5563 “ @amber6172 Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Festival selections: Links to information about Nelson’s Community Compost and its composting programme Community Compost website detailing their composting service and Compost Club Instagram feed for Community Compost featuring their automatic composting machine Follow Community Compost’s food waste recycling journey and connect with their team of composters on Facebook Links to more about bEartha the compost turner and the need for food waste composting ‘Creating a composting machine – a tale of invention’ – RNZ interview with Ben Bushell ‘Nelson community compost scheme aims to avoid waste’ – Stuff article on Community Compost’s composting service ‘Why our food scraps are being driven hundreds of kilometres out of town’ – The Spinoff article about food waste recycling Links to resources about how to make compost We love Kiwi gardener Kath Irvine’s Easy Peasy Compost article for tips on making great compost at home. If you prefer a video to learn how to make compost, Morag Gamble of the Permaculture Institute offers the in-depth guide 5 Ways to Compost . This is a link to a fabulous online book by Home Grown Permaculture called Home Composting in Hobart (but of course, you don’t need to be in Hobart for it to work for you too!). Ben & bEartha follows the story of passionate composter Ben Bushell of Community Compost, Nelson ( https://communitycompost.co.nz/ ). Through the inspiring story of Ben and his dedicated composting community, we get to know bEartha, an automatic composting machine that’s about to revolutionise small-scale commercial composting. Why is composting important? What is aerobic composting? How can mechanical composting support the need for food waste solutions? And what’s the story with “community composting” anyway? Find out in this inspiring film about a potentially game-changing approach to making compost on an urban scale. Watch the trailer for Ben & bEartha: Zero Waste, Community, Urban Living, Food & Gardening About Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story 39 mins “ Incredible video full of such inspiring people!! Made me cry and want to be part of a community like this myself someday! @iloveowls8748 YouTube ” “ This inspirational docu brought me to tears of joy! What a wonderful masterpiece of grass roots empowerment that shows what is possible if we look at what we can do rather than what we cannot do. @turtle2212 YouTube ” “ Thank you Happen Films for making such an inspirational story once again. Ben and his team deserve so much gratitude and thanks for doing what every town should be doing! @helenmcgill5563 YouTube ” “ Compost heroes indeed! Beautiful! Thank you for creating, documenting, and sharing such an important and inspiring journey! There needs to be a bEartha in every town and community. @amber6172 YouTube ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Happen Films makes inspiring eco documentaries about sustainability, resilience and people making change for a more beautiful world. STORIES FOR A MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD We are impact storytellers And we believe in the power of documentary film to tell compelling, engaging stories. Stories to inspire change. To share wisdom. To shift us toward an ecological culture, and a more beautiful world. So we share the stories of passionate people who are sowing the seeds of a more beautiful world, in their own lives and in their communities. Our work is made possible by donations from our amazing community, and you can discover the various ways you can support us by clicking the button below. All of our films are free to watch – so come on in and be inspired! Support our work We are impact storytellers STORIES FOR A MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD 41 Films 67M Views 556k Followers “ I absolutely love your garden! I have watched the first film so many times! So this second one is a delight! Thank you! Aeyla-n1r YouTube ” “ I get some much inspiration from watching smaller spaces produce such abundance. I'm filled with awe at what can be accomplished with consistent effort and love for the process. daviddreher8588 YouTube ” “ How wonderful to see an update, I shared the first video with many people to try to encourage them to grow food not lawns. Thank you for sharing. yvonnescraftycorner YouTube ” 92% of Her Vegetables In Just 4 Hours a Week The Plummery, 5-year Revisit In this film we revisit The Plummery, the 100sq/m backyard garden in inner-city Melbourne where Kat Lavers lives and gardens. Watch this film WATCH OUR LATEST FILM RECENT SHORT FILMS Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Permaculture 12 mins The Plummery, 5-year Revisit In this film we revisit The Plummery, the 100sq/m backyard garden in inner-city Melbourne where Kat Lavers lives and gardens. Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening, Community 11 mins Rongoā Māori Rongoā is the healing practice and an essential element of the worldview of Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Simple Living, Permaculture, Community, Urban Living 12 mins A Day in the Life of Woody A Day in the Life of Woody showcases the unschooled life of 11-year-old Blackwood, a boy who has been schooled from home all his life. Mindfulness 17 mins Flute Making and Human Making A mediation on the unexpected similarities to be found between making a beautiful Japanese shakuhachi flute and making a beautiful human. LATEST MID-LENGTH FILMS Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building, Community 25 mins Strawbale Dream Home Follow Adam and Sian as they build their traditional timber frame home combining timber joinery, strawbale and cob. Zero Waste, Community, Urban Living, Food & Gardening 39 mins Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story Follow the remarkable journey of a passionate man making composting at a community-wide scale not just a dream but the real thing. Food & Gardening, Community, Permaculture, Urban Living 39 mins Together We Grow: The Story of Common Unity Learn the variety of ways this community comes together to help those in need to have access to great food and meaningful connections Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature 24 mins The Food Forest Farmers What role do humans play in Earth's ecosystems and how can we be good stewards of the land? This film showcases syntropic farming as a way. OUR FEATURE FILMS Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste 60 mins The New Peasants A new feature film releasing in June 2025 about the philosophy and lifestyle choices of an Australian family living profoundly simply. Community, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living, Permaculture, Economy, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Zero Waste 86 mins Living the Change Living the Change is a feature-length documentary that explores solutions to the global crises we face today. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste 78 mins A Simpler Way What would it look like to live within Earth's available resources? This group came together to explore a one-world-footprint lifestyle. “ Jordan and Antoinette, thank you, thank you so much for bringing us this knowledge. @sharonadlam3195 YouTube ” “ You and the stories you tell are an inspiration for all of us, we are following you from the Sahrawi refugee camps in southwest Algeria, and we learn from your experience, we are also working hard to grow food in the desert, our community really needs access to local food and we working slowly to get it done the right way. Keep up the good work and keep sharing the beauty and love you see in this world. @Motif Art Studio YouTube ” “ I have now watched a number of your videos. As a gardener, seedsman and garden educator, I think these are brilliant. Clearly presented, visually engaging and very inspiring. @syalutsa YouTube ” “ It's awesome what you do, Happen Films! You inspire me A LOT! @umrespiro Instagram ” “ I'm so happy I found this channel. Your documentaries are stunning - thank you! This is the way of the future. @mathildamoon2100 YouTube ” “ Thank you for your enlightening information, you have changed my perspective. Keep inspiring a better more meaningful way. Anthony Patreon ” “ These films inspired me ten years ago and they continue to inspire me today. @shaelinwood8165 YouTube ” “ I love your work. I watch your documentaries over and over! Thank you! @claudiavarino2712 YouTube ” “ I love your films. I love the people you’re filming. Thanks for inspiring us to remember who we are as Nature Beings. Maya GiveForms ” “ Your work was a great eye-opener for me, thanks for your great green stories. Lena GiveForms ” “ Thank you for your gorgeous films, I'm learning so much and you've piqued my curiosity to go and learn more! Greatly appreciated. Mary YouTube ” “ These videos give me hope and make me dream of what I can do. They show me there are people doing the right thing. Thank you. Leah YouTube ” “ I have been going through each of your films on YouTube and want to say thank you for the inspiration you share with others! Rose Patreon ” “ I have been learning so much from watching your films and videos. It has helped me to reflect on the state of our world and to give form to thoughts that I had intuitively within me but that your films helped to shape and bring clarity to. Laura Email ” “ Your work is so inspiring and a light to navigate important change! Thank you! Laura Patreon ” “ 'Living the Change' has just given me such a deep and profound inspiration to change how I choose to live my life. Thank you so much for creating this and sharing it with the world. @alwaysaboutthejourney YouTube ” “ Thank you for the awakening and inspiration! Chad GiveForms ” “ Thank you for releasing your art for free. It is a testament to your interviewing and editing skills that 'Living the Change' explains so many complicated systems and their interactions so clearly and concisely. @KenTanis YouTube ” “ Living the Change' film has become the catalyst in my action to build a food forest on the property left to me by my late father. Permaculture farming here I come! @rbsax YouTube ” “ I love your work. I watch your documentaries over and over! Thank you! @claudiavarino2712 Patreon ” “ These films inspired me ten years ago and they continue to inspire me today. @shaelinwood8165 YouTube ” “ So proud of humans like you guys - thank you for inspiring me and so many others - you guys rock! Lorna GiveForms ” “ Long time fan of your work - thank you for all the information and inspiration! Dorene GiveForms ” “ There's no way I can watch one of your films and not feel inspired. @suburbanhomestead YouTube ” “ As a cinematographer myself, I really appreciate the artistic flavour of motion imagery... And of course, the content is educational, entertaining and most importantly it is inspiring! @whiteroomfd YouTube ” “ Your films are absolutely beautiful, real jewels of hope for the future. @odiepapa6033 YouTube ” “ A few years ago I watched a video about food forest on your channel. I was extremely inspired, and started my own organic indigenous food forest because of it! After 3 years of hard work, it's finally starting to look like a permaculture but it will take a lifetime to accomplish. Thank you, it changed my life! @Im-just-Stardust YouTube ”

92% of Her Vegetables In Just 4 Hours a Week The Plummery, 5-year Revisit Other films you might like Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture 12 mins Hua Parakore Hua Parakore encapsulates the principles behind growing food from a te ao Māori – Māori worldview perspective. Permaculture, Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Urban Living 12 mins The Plummery Find out how to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables even when you have a tiny backyard garden in the middle of a busy city. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living 12 mins Creatures of Place This family live an incredibly simple life, yet they have an abundance in so many things – food, community, time to create a beautiful life. Share your thoughts about The Plummery Revisit Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Watch our first film with Kat: The Plummery Find out more about Kat and The Plummery: Kat Lavers' Website Kat Lavers' Instagram Subtitles Most of our subtitles are generated by YouTube (English) or created by volunteers. We try to make time to correct YouTube's English but for other languages we can't control the quality, sorry! Download your preferred language and upload it via your media player. The Plummery, 5-Year Revisit – English If you'd like to volunteer to create subtitles in your language, please contact us ! Back in 2019 we visited Kat Lavers at her Melbourne home, The Plummery. We were awed not just by the abundance of food growing in her 100sq/m back yard, but by her approach to life, her household and community practices, and her wonderful eloquence. That film has been a hit – 2.2 million views to date on YouTube and over 1500 comments that are overwhelmingly inspired, excited, loving and grateful to Kat for her quiet wisdom. The film was also selected in four international film festivals. It’s been on our mind to film with Kat again – to see if things have changed in the garden and in her thinking. Happily Kat was equally excited to share an update and even expand on her insights into inner-city gardening and living. We shot a revisit film with her in December 2024, just at the start of Melbourne’s summer, and this time Kat spoke about creating resilience both in our gardens and in our homes. We also get to see some of the very cool critters that maintain her garden’s thriving ecosystem. Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Permaculture About The Plummery, 5-year Revisit 12 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

This Couple Live an Ultra Low-Waste Life and You Can Too! The Rubbish Trip Other films you might like Zero Waste, Community, Urban Living, Food & Gardening 17 mins Ben & bEartha: A Community's Compost Love Story Follow the remarkable journey of a passionate man making composting at a community-wide scale not just a dream but the real thing. Permaculture, Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Urban Living 17 mins The Plummery Find out how to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables even when you have a tiny backyard garden in the middle of a busy city. Share your thoughts about The Rubbish Trip film Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ @earth2jennyl “ @barbarajones9069 “ @slowhappytravels “ @onestrangeboat Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Festival selections: Subtitles Most of our subtitles are generated by YouTube (English) or created by volunteers. We try to make time to correct YouTube's English but for other languages we can't control the quality, sorry! Download your preferred language and upload it via your media player. The Rubbish Trip - English If you'd like to volunteer to create subtitles in your language, please contact us ! Hannah and Liam are the inspiring couple behind The Rubbish Trip, originally a nationwide tour offering free zero waste workshops around Aotearoa New Zealand. Now experts on the why’s and how’s of reducing waste, Hannah and Liam are our personal zero waste heroes – educators, advocates, and activists on a subject that is ultimately about so much more than waste. For this film, we asked Hannah and Liam about their perspective on what it means to be zero waste, what it’s taken for them to make suitable lifestyle changes toward that goal, and their work in advocacy and activism. This short film offers inspiration and encouragement to all of us, no matter where we are on our waste minimisation journey. Hannah and Liam’s story offers another opportunity for Happen Films to contribute to the global conversation about waste. It is topical and it needs urgent action. We see it as a critical subject to be discussing in our households, communities, businesses, and with our governments: how can each and every one of us assume responsibility for our impact on the planet and on each other and work towards the necessary system change? Find out more about Hannah & Liam and The Rubbish Trip The Rubbish Trip website Instagram Facebook Zero Waste, Urban Living, Simple Living About The Rubbish Trip 17 mins “ I loved this video! I feel inspired, not lectured. Thank you! @earth2jennyl YouTube ” “ I have been working towards minimal waste but your film has inspired me to go for zero waste and hopefully inspire others. @barbarajones9069 YouTube ” “ Wow, Hannah and Liam are amazing human beings! Thank you for sharing their story. I'm slowly adopting the "zero-waste" lifestyle. I have so much to learn but watching this video was super helpful and inspiring! @slowhappytravels YouTube ” “ This is really impactful, thank you. Makes me think a lot about how I can change my lifestyle too! @onestrangeboat YouTube ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Healing People and Place Rongoā Māori Other films you might like Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening 11 mins Fishing for the Future A small-scale, thoughtful and ethical approach to fishing our oceans is possible – this family is leading the way. Food & Gardening, Community, Permaculture, Urban Living 11 mins Together We Grow: The Story of Common Unity Learn the variety of ways this community comes together to help those in need to have access to great food and meaningful connections Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture 11 mins Hua Parakore Hua Parakore encapsulates the principles behind growing food from a te ao Māori – Māori worldview perspective. Share your thoughts about Rongoā Māori. Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ mister.peterson Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . About this series This film forms part of the collaborative series “Something Beautiful for the World”, a project in which three filmmakers from around the globe explore how small acts of love and kindness have the potential to ripple out and change the world, touching hearts and minds in ways that we could never begin to imagine. The series is made up of 12 short films, from across five continents, four from each filmmaker, and releasing one per month for the whole of 2024. Watch all the films in the series here . Subtitles Most of our subtitles are generated by YouTube (English) or created by volunteers. We try to make time to correct YouTube's English but for other languages we can't control the quality, sorry! Download your preferred language and upload it via your media player. Rongoā Māori: Healing People and Place – English If you'd like to volunteer to create subtitles in your language, please contact us ! Rongoā is the healing practice of Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Much more than herbal medicine, although it is that too, rongoā is a way of seeing the world, of understanding the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, and of understanding that wellness, for all of earth's species, comes from being whole – spiritually and physically. Western medicine, so valuable in so many ways, divides us up into parts. Rongoā and te ao Māori, the Māori worldview, take into account our life essence, our ancestral knowledge, the wisdom that comes from being connected – to each other and to the land. This ancient knowledge has been at risk of being completely lost. Thankfully, cultures that have remained indigenous have held on to so much ancestral wisdom. Donna Kerridge shares some of that insight in this film, and calls on us all to listen to the whispers of our ancestors. Find out more about Donna Kerridge and her rongoā work here: https://oranewzealand.com/pages/about-us Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening, Community About Rongoā Māori 11 mins “ Absolutely incredible! Such powerful words on connection. mister.peterson Instagram ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Organic Farming is the Future of Agriculture The Future of Food Other films you might like Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Urban Living 5 mins Urban Abundance This couple have turned their urban back yard into beautiful neat rows of market garden and help others to garden in their own back yards. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Economy 5 mins From Finance to Farmer Explore the beautiful food forest Andrew Martin has created from a paddock of grass, and learn all the reasons why he's doing so. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture 5 mins Purple Pear Permaculture Farm A tour of Purple Pear Farm, where permaculture principles and biodynamic farming guide the management of gardens and animals. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature 5 mins Limestone Permaculture Tour #1 The first of two Happen Films tours of well known Limestone Permaculture Farm, where an abundance of food and medicine is grown on 1 acre. Share your thoughts about The Future of Food Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ @svm9341 “ @kevinwharem6464 “ @thomasdecarlo8543 “ @OrganicBackyardGardening Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Visit the Wairarapa Eco Farm website In this film, organic market gardeners Frank and Josje talk about why the supermarket system doesn’t work and how Community Supported Agriculture fits into a new story for food growing. CSA members help farmers to grow the best quality vegetables and to nurture healthy soils by committing to receive vegetable boxes every week for a season. That way, the farmer can get on with growing great food and sending it direct to their customers, without having to accommodate the profit-geared demands of the supermarket chains, which drive conventional growers to produce less nutritious vegetables in ways that damage the soil. This is the future of food, a future in which both people and planet are healthier! Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture About The Future of Food 5 mins “ Very interesting and thought-provoking! I will certainly share this with my friends who are involved in farming! Thank you very much! @svm9341 YouTube ” “ Stunning video and a truly inspirational farm! Thank you for sharing them both!! @kevinwharem6464 YouTube ” “ I love this couple and their philosophy, attitude, perspective and more so their actions. Thank you. @thomasdecarlo8543 YouTube ” “ The quality and style of your filming is so high quality! Inspirational! Please keep up the great work and thank you! @OrganicBackyardGardening YouTube ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

How a Family of 5 Make Almost Zero Waste A Life with Less Waste Other films you might like Permaculture, Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Urban Living 8 mins The Plummery Find out how to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables even when you have a tiny backyard garden in the middle of a busy city. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living 8 mins Creatures of Place This family live an incredibly simple life, yet they have an abundance in so many things – food, community, time to create a beautiful life. Share your thoughts about Life with Less Waste Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ @leahkubitz7655 “ @arunshankars8398 “ @nigelhughes2216 “ @majskola Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Find out more about Lauren and Oberon Lauren and Oberon's book A Family Guide to Waste Free Living Lauren and Oberon's website . Subtitles Most of our subtitles are generated by YouTube (English) or created by volunteers. We try to make time to correct YouTube's English but for other languages we can't control the quality, sorry! Download your preferred language and upload it via your media player. A Life With Less Waste - English If you'd like to volunteer to create subtitles in your language, please contact us ! In Hobart, Tasmania, Lauren & Oberon Carter and their three daughters have been making lifestyle changes towards producing almost no rubbish – they’ve only filled one small jar with waste in two years! They’ve been able to do this though a combination of small changes, from buying food in bulk, bringing their own containers and bags to shops, buying locally grown food from the market, composting their food scraps and pet poo, and buying secondhand clothes made from natural fibres. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living About A Life with Less Waste 8 mins “ This inspired me so much. The spark of sustainable living in my heart has grown into a fire now. @leahkubitz7655 YouTube ” “ Videos like this one must be part of the school curriculum. Our kids need to watch them. @arunshankars8398 YouTube ” “ Such a gently inspirational film. Thank you. @nigelhughes2216 YouTube ” “ This was so inspiring! We’re huge fans of your videos! Thank you so much for the amazing job you are doing!❤ @majskola Instagram ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Sustainable City Living on 1/10th of an Acre Degrowth in the Suburbs Other films you might like Zero Waste, Urban Living, Simple Living 15 mins The Rubbish Trip What does it mean to be on the zero waste journey? And why is it important for us each to take personal responsibility for our waste? Permaculture, Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Urban Living 15 mins The Plummery Find out how to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables even when you have a tiny backyard garden in the middle of a busy city. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living 15 mins Creatures of Place This family live an incredibly simple life, yet they have an abundance in so many things – food, community, time to create a beautiful life. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Urban Living 15 mins Urban Abundance This couple have turned their urban back yard into beautiful neat rows of market garden and help others to garden in their own back yards. Share your thoughts about Degrowth in the Suburbs Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ @leamonty2992 “ @jeniehuynh4805 “ @TheHomesteadingHobbit “ @meeganhardaker6595 Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Festivals selections: Subtitles Most of our subtitles are generated by YouTube (English) or created by volunteers. We try to make time to correct YouTube's English but for other languages we can't control the quality, sorry! Download your preferred language and upload it via your media player. Degrowth in the Suburbs - English Degrowth in the Suburbs - Spanish If you'd like to volunteer to create subtitles in your language, please contact us ! By living more simply, creating permaculture gardens, utilising energy technologies such as biogas and solar power, and taking part in community initiatives like car sharing, this household creates money and time savings that enable them to work fewer hours and develop a thriving and sustainable home. Find out more about Sam Alexander's Degrowth work: Simplicity Institute Simplicity Collective ‘ Degrowth in the Suburbs: A Radical Urban Imaginary ‘ Permaculture, Simple Living, Urban Living, Zero Waste, Food & Gardening, Community, Economy About Degrowth in the Suburbs 15 mins “ These videos give me hope and make me dream of what I can do. They show me there are people doing the right thing. Thank you. @leamonty2992 YouTube ” “ This is a wonderful way to live and save our planet. Great documentary. Thank you for sharing. @jeniehuynh4805 YouTube ” “ Such a beautiful documentary. Start small, and it will be an amazing journey as you watch your home unfold to its greatest joy. @TheHomesteadingHobbit YouTube ” “ All of your films are wonderful, thank you for this gift to the world! Fills me up with hope. @meeganhardaker6595 YouTube ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Incredible 1.5-Acre Syntropic Food Forest with Over 250 Plant Species The Food Forest Farmers Other films you might like Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening 24 mins Fishing for the Future A small-scale, thoughtful and ethical approach to fishing our oceans is possible – this family is leading the way. Permaculture, Food & Gardening, Urban Living, Regenerating Nature 24 mins Growing Wild Together We revisit the food forest we filmed five years ago to discover what's changed and how much more wild it's all become – plants and people! Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture 24 mins Hua Parakore Hua Parakore encapsulates the principles behind growing food from a te ao Māori – Māori worldview perspective. Community, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Farming 24 mins From Weedy Forests to Grassy Woodlands A film exploring how the simple practice of grazing goats on wild lands can lead to a healthier forest and a more connected community. Share your thoughts about The Food Forest Farmers Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ @bobterhaar9091 “ @PermacultureHomestead “ @johnb7046 “ @permibw Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Visit Permadynamics online: Website Instagram Facebook Access all 10 full-length interviews from the film shoot via our Patreon page Subtitles Most of our subtitles are generated by YouTube (English) or created by volunteers. We try to make time to correct YouTube's English but for other languages we can't control the quality, sorry! Download your preferred language and upload it via your media player. The Food Forest Farmers - English The Food Forest Farmers - Spanish The Food Forest Farmers - Portuguese If you'd like to volunteer to create subtitles in your language, please contact us ! Syntropic farming is a new and ancient regenerative agriculture practice that can be implemented in any region, in any climate, in limitless ways – even in your own back yard. For over a decade the Lotz-Keegan family have been implementing permaculture practices to regenerate a degraded hillside into an abundant food forest of native and exotic trees that feed their family, their community, the wildlife, the soil, and their souls. Combining the practices of syntropic agroforestry with the principles of permaculture and their own deeply thoughtful approach to land regeneration, food growing, and lifestyle, this family is partnering with nature to create a humming diversity on the land and a positive story about the role of humans in an ecosystem. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature About The Food Forest Farmers 24 mins “ Thanks a BUNCH for making this. These types of videos are my sign posts in life! :) @bobterhaar9091 YouTube ” “ Another masterpiece, thanks so much for sharing the love and knowledge from this family. @PermacultureHomestead YouTube ” “ This was fantastic! Put a smile on my face showing how humans should truly exist within our ecosystem. @johnb7046 YouTube ” “ This was an amazing film (as usual) with loads of valuable information and inspirational footage. @permibw Instagram ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

The full-length version of the interview from our documentary A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity DAVID HOLMGREN EXTENDED INTERVIEW << Previous Interview Next Interview >> Find out more about David Holmgren https://holmgren.com.au Simplicity Institute: http://simplicityinstitute.org Description David Holmgren is the co-originator, with Bill Mollison, of permaculture. This is the full interview we shot with him for our film “ A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity ”. We can only ever fit in a few minutes’ worth of the amazing interviews we get to shoot, so here’s the whole thing for people who want to get into the nitty-gritty! Permaculture, Gardening, Farming & Composting, Community 87 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Cute $2500 rustic tiny house with beautiful geodesic dome window Building a Beautiful, Rustic Tiny House Other films you might like Community, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living, Permaculture, Economy, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Zero Waste 8 mins Living the Change Living the Change is a feature-length documentary that explores solutions to the global crises we face today. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste 8 mins A Simpler Way What would it look like to live within Earth's available resources? This group came together to explore a one-world-footprint lifestyle. Community, Simple Living, Permaculture, Homes & Building, Zero Waste 8 mins $420 Tiny House This film showcases the build of a very tiny house, built using reclaimed materials by a couple with no previous building experience. Simple Living, Homes & Building 8 mins Earthbag Timelapse A 3-minute time lapse showing the build of an earthbag tiny house built by unskilled labourers at Wurruk'an, in Gippsland, Australia. Share your thoughts about Building a Beautiful, Rustic Tiny House Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Find out more about the community Taj was part of in our free-to-view feature film A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity . Check out the construction and a tour of this cute 10-square-metre mostly recycled tiny house with a lead-light geodesic dome window, built on land shared by a community committed to simple living. The build cost around $2500, and was completed by a group of mostly unskilled builders in Gippsland, Australia. The house has a loft bed, and work and living space below, with no need for a bathroom or kitchen as these are part of the community’s shared facilities. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building About Building a Beautiful, Rustic Tiny House 8 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Jono Frew: Transforming farms and changing lives with regenerative agriculture HAPPEN FILMS PODCAST #3 << Previous Podcast Next Podcast >> << Previous Podcast Next Podcast >> Audio only Jono Frew: Transforming farms and changing lives with regenerative agriculture 00:00 / 1:05:25 Learn more about Jono Frew Website YouTube Facebook Description In Episode 3 of the Happen Films podcast we speak with regenerative agriculture coach Jono Frew. Jono started his working life age 11 in farming and he’s been passionate about the industry from Day 1. But his career took an unexpected turn a few years ago and it’s impacted not just how he approaches farming, but how he approaches life. As he moved from conventional agriculture to regenerative agriculture, Jono learnt not only that true farming solutions don’t come from a bottle, he also learnt how to cry freely, how to connect with his kids, how to share himself, and how to help fellow farmers steer a new, regenerative course for their own farms and families. Jono’s an inspiration to us, a beautiful example of how reconnecting with the soil upon which all life depends can also reconnect you with your family, your community and your very self. Have a listen and let us know your own thoughts about the future of farming. Regenerating Nature, Farming & Composting 65 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Coming Soon! The New Peasants Other films you might like Simple Living, Permaculture, Community, Urban Living 60 mins A Day in the Life of Woody A Day in the Life of Woody showcases the unschooled life of 11-year-old Blackwood, a boy who has been schooled from home all his life. Community, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Farming 60 mins From Weedy Forests to Grassy Woodlands A film exploring how the simple practice of grazing goats on wild lands can lead to a healthier forest and a more connected community. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living 60 mins Creatures of Place This family live an incredibly simple life, yet they have an abundance in so many things – food, community, time to create a beautiful life. Share your thoughts about The New Peasants Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Support this film We're fundraising to get this film over the line. Check out our fundraising page at Documentary Australia, where the film was accepted for the Fiscal Sponsorship Programme. Let us know if you'd like more info or please go ahead and contribute on the platform – every little dollar counts! Follow the link to learn more or donate to the New Peasants fundraising campaign. Watch more films about Artist As Family: Creatures of Place From Weedy Forests to Grassy Woodlands A Day in the Life of Woody Find out more about Artist as Family (Patrick, his partner Meg and their son Woody) by signing up to their blog . https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/the-new-peasants/ Our new feature film is in production and due for release in June 2025. What happens when the values of the culture you’ve always known no longer align with how you see the world? The New Peasants provides an intimate look into the life of Meg, Patrick, and their son Woody. A family who, for 20 years, have been transitioning away from modern industrial culture toward a radically simple, sustainable, and beautiful way of life. Building upon our three previous short films with this family – Creatures of Place (2.4 million views), From Weedy Forests to Grassy Woodlands (2.1M views) and A Day in the Life of Woody (new release) – this feature film dives deep into their story in a way we haven’t captured before. Concerns about the industrial food system and environmental crises provided the family’s initial motivation to live differently. Now it’s 15 years since they’ve eaten food from a supermarket or owned a car. They intentionally live below the poverty line, meeting 80% of their needs without using money – yet they’re rich in so many ways. Wealth is found in their cellar of preserved foods, connections with community, saved seeds, homesteading skills and the time to focus on what really matters in life. This film offers insight into the unfolding journey of a family rejecting the mainstream culture and working to create a new one. A culture and economy that draw on ways of the past while stepping joyfully into the future. For everything they’ve let go, something has been gained. With every challenge, something learned. The environmental, social, and economic challenges the world is facing are better understood and more widely discussed now than ever before, but many of us lack a vision for what we can do to address them. This is one family’s response to the predicament of our time, offering an inspiring glimpse into the kind of future, culture, and economy we can create. This family’s way of living shows that transformative change begins at the home and community level and that we can all participate in creating a better world. Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste About The New Peasants 60 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

FILMS ABOUT SIMPLE LIVING As our so-called developed societies have become ever more deeply entrenched in running the ratrace and consuming 'stuff' we've created all the waste and sickness in planet and people that are the inevitable result. For some, the calling to a simpler way of life overrides the messaging from advertising and social norms. What drives them? What does a simpler way of being in the world look like? In these films we gain an insight into a variety of approaches to living with less, from holding it as a philosophical value to employing it as a strategy in some elements of the day to day. Here are stories from people who have thought deeply about how they live in the world and have insights to share with us all. Browse all films Filter options: Use the buttons below to filter the list of films. You can select more than one option, and click again to deselect. Feature (+40 mins) Mid-length (21-40 mins) Short (0-20 mins) Community, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste The New Peasants 60 mins A new feature film releasing in June 2025 about the philosophy and lifestyle choices of an Australian family living profoundly simply. Simple Living, Permaculture, Community, Urban Living A Day in the Life of Woody 12 mins A Day in the Life of Woody showcases the unschooled life of 11-year-old Blackwood, a boy who has been schooled from home all his life. Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Economy, Urban Living Being the Change at 85 13 mins Helen Dew is an 85-year-old activist with a passion for gardening, community resilience, biochar, seed saving and living simply. Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building, Community Strawbale Dream Home 25 mins Follow Adam and Sian as they build their traditional timber frame home combining timber joinery, strawbale and cob. Zero Waste, Urban Living, Simple Living The Rubbish Trip 17 mins What does it mean to be on the zero waste journey? And why is it important for us each to take personal responsibility for our waste? Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature Melliodora Tour 11 mins A tour of David Holmgren and Su Dennett's 1-hectare permaculture paradise – explore the home and garden of the co-founder of permaculture. Regenerating Nature, Simple Living Fools & Dreamers 30 mins Does regenerating a native forest mean hundreds of staff or volunteers planting individual tress? What about leaving it to nature? Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living A Life with Less Waste 8 mins What secrets does this family hold to reducing individual impact on the planet by reducing family waste streams? Permaculture, Community, Food & Gardening, Simple Living, Urban Living The Plummery 8 mins Find out how to grow an abundance of fruit and vegetables even when you have a tiny backyard garden in the middle of a busy city. Permaculture, Simple Living, Urban Living, Zero Waste, Food & Gardening, Community, Economy Degrowth in the Suburbs 15 mins What does sustainable living in the city look like? This film explores the different methods one family employs to reduce their impact. Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Urban Living Abdallah House 14 mins A tour of a very small urban section that has been developed using permaculture principles to make best use of the space. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste, Urban Living Creatures of Place 12 mins This family live an incredibly simple life, yet they have an abundance in so many things – food, community, time to create a beautiful life. Community, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living, Permaculture, Economy, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Zero Waste Living the Change 86 mins Living the Change is a feature-length documentary that explores solutions to the global crises we face today. Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste Closing the Loop 7 mins Learn about how this couple manages their composting toilet, why it's so important, and how easy it is! Simple Living, Homes & Building The Handmade Housetruck 12 mins Explore the simple life and beautiful home of this couple in their beautiful off-grid handmade tiny house truck, built with love and skill. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building Living Simply in an Off-Grid Tiny House 6 mins Living simply in just 20 square metres this family has found a different way of living that helps them to feel more sustained and content. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Zero Waste A Simpler Way 78 mins What would it look like to live within Earth's available resources? This group came together to explore a one-world-footprint lifestyle. Simple Living, Homes & Building Off-Grid Tiny House on Wheels 17 mins This 17-minute tiny house tour takes us through all the highs and lows of building a tiny house on wheels. Community, Simple Living, Permaculture, Homes & Building, Zero Waste $420 Tiny House 4 mins This film showcases the build of a very tiny house, built using reclaimed materials by a couple with no previous building experience. Simple Living, Homes & Building Earthbag Timelapse 2 mins A 3-minute time lapse showing the build of an earthbag tiny house built by unskilled labourers at Wurruk'an, in Gippsland, Australia. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living, Homes & Building Building a Beautiful, Rustic Tiny House 8 mins Meet Taj as she gives a tour and describes living simply in this 10 sq metre tiny house built using reclaimed materials. Community, Permaculture, Simple Living Agari Permaculture Farm 4 mins A short film showcasing Agari Permaculture Farm, a place for exploring natural building and permaculture.

Farming Sustainably With Regenerative Agriculture Restoring Paradise Other films you might like Permaculture, Food & Gardening, Urban Living, Regenerating Nature 8 mins Growing Wild Together We revisit the food forest we filmed five years ago to discover what's changed and how much more wild it's all become – plants and people! Community, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Farming 8 mins From Weedy Forests to Grassy Woodlands A film exploring how the simple practice of grazing goats on wild lands can lead to a healthier forest and a more connected community. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture 8 mins The Future of Food Frank and Josje discuss Community Supported Agriculture as a sustainable and viable food system for the future. Share your thoughts about Restoring Paradise Which film are you commenting on? Your name or username Your comment * Required Submit comment Your comment has been submitted “ @OurChangingClimate “ @AgroforestryAcademy “ @LITTLEMUSTANGFILLY “ @merquitiedd Thank you! This film was made possible through the generous financial support of the Biome Trust with assistance from The Gift Trust . Learn more about Greg's work at Mangarara: Visit the Mangarara website Regenerative agriculture offers a future for the sustainable farming of meat in line with nature’s needs, by using holistic grazing and organic/biodynamic practices and even sequestering carbon in the soil – so important in the fight against climate change. At Mangarara , in New Zealand’s beautiful Hawke’s Bay, Greg Hart and his family are in the process of restoring 1500 acres of land, conventionally farmed for over 150 years, into the paradise it once was. Focusing on diversity of animals, plantings and practices they are creating not only a beautiful landscape but also a beautiful place for animals and people to live and thrive. Holistic grazing keeps the grass long in order to build soil biology, sequester carbon, reduce fossil fuel inputs and keep animals naturally healthy. The neighbouring farmers might think it’s a wasteful practice, but as Greg says in the film, “Waste is a human concept. Nature doesn’t do waste.” Farming, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature About Restoring Paradise 8 mins “ When you get a Happen Films video in your subscription feed, you know it's going to be a great day. Another awesome video, thanks! @OurChangingClimate YouTube ” “ Very inspiring. We believe that working with animals, along with agroforestry systems, is one of the most powerful ways of regenerating soils and ecosystems. Congratulations on the work! @AgroforestryAcademy YouTube ” “ Amazing. Love seeing people who are actually making a change as opposed to just complaining on the internet. @LITTLEMUSTANGFILLY YouTube ” “ This is so incredibly interesting! Thank you for all your videos and work! You inspire! @merquitiedd YouTube ” Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Artist as Family: Community Resilience in a Time of Pandemic HAPPEN FILMS PODCAST #1 << Previous Podcast Next Podcast >> << Previous Podcast Next Podcast >> Audio only Artist as Family: Community Resilience in a Time of Pandemic 00:00 / 1:12:43 Find out more about Artist as Family https://artistasfamily.is/ Description In our very first podcast episode Meg and Patrick of Artist as Family join us for a conversation on community resilience and the opportunities for change that the pandemic presents. You might remember Meg and Patrick from our film Creatures of Place that we made back in 2018. Today they’re joining us from their home, Tree Elbow, on Djaara people’s land in Victoria, Australia. We love the way these guys choose to live and interact with their community – they’re inspiring role models for us and they were the obvious choice for first guests on our new podcast. One of the critical things we talked about was the difference between self-sufficiency and community sufficiency. Meg: “How do we practice community sufficiency, what does that look like when it’s just us here, how do we look after each other in a non digital way in a very, very real practical sense? We’re so privileged here to live like this. How do we share that? In a time where everybody is physically distanced, what does generosity look like?” Patrick: “Resilience is community sufficiency it’s not self sufficiency, so while we have twelve years of preparing for collapse on this particular lot in Central Victoria and within the community gardens and the community forests that we’re involved in and there’s food everywhere … feral foods and the huge amount of learning over the last twelve years we’ve put into edible flora and fauna and fungi – it’s so good to have that, that’s our main bank apart from our seed bank, our cellar and our garden and our community, but to be shut off so radically from community at the moment is definitely a… I feel a sense of vulnerability with that.” It was really great to talk about that vulnerability with two people who are, despite feeling the vulnerability, deeply resilient in so many ways. We can’t all be prepared for every situation the future might bring, but we can choose to live in a way that is positive and loving and supportive of our selves and all the beings around us. Community, Simple Living, Urban Living, Gardening 72 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

The full interview with Helena Norberg-Hodge from our film A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity HELENA NORBERG-HODGE EXTENDED INTERVIEW << Previous Interview Next Interview >> Find out more about Helena Norberg-Hodge https://www.helenanorberghodge.com/ https://www.localfutures.org/about-local-futures/who-we-are/helena-norberg-hodge/ https://www.positive.news/environment/food/close-to-home-why-local-food-is-the-future/ Description Helena Norberg-Hodge is a pioneer of the local economies movement and founder and director of Local Futures. This is the full interview we shot with her for our film A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity . We can only ever fit in a few minutes’ worth of the amazing interviews we get to shoot, so here’s the whole thing for people who want to get into the nitty-gritty! Watch the feature-length documentary that drew on this interview: A Simpler Way: Crisis as Opportunity . Community, Simple Living, Urban Living 74 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

Imagining Decolonisation and Why it's Good for Everyone with Tina Ngata HAPPEN FILMS PODCAST #7 << Previous Podcast Next Podcast >> << Previous Podcast Next Podcast >> Audio only Imagining Decolonisation and Why it's Good for Everyone with Tina Ngata 00:00 / 1:13:28 Learn more about Tina Ngata Website Support on Patreon Watch Tina’s talk during the Claim the Future webinar (July 2020) Buy Tina’s book, Kia Mau: Resisting Colonial Fictions (digital download – please koha/gift if you can) Transcript Antoinette: Hi everyone, I’m Antoinette. Welcome back to the Happen Films podcast. Today I’m joined by Tina Ngata, one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s waste resistance heroes. Her blog of many years, The Non-plastic Maori, described, among connected topics, her personal transition to living plastic-free. More broadly her work involves advocacy for environmental, indigenous and human rights. She’s spoken for Maori and indigenous rights at the United Nations and at conferences around the world and has published a collection of essays entitled Kia Mau: Resisting Colonial Fictions . I’ll include links to her work in the show notes and in the YouTube description. Show More Description In Episode 7 of the Happen Films Podcast, Antoinette is joined by Tina Ngata (Ngati Porou), an advocate for environmental, indigenous and human rights. Tina is based in Tairāwhiti, East Coast, Aotearoa New Zealand, where she’s a busy community leader working for the rights and wellbeing of her whanau/family and community. For many years her blog, the Non-Plastic Maori, documented her journey reducing her personal dependence on plastic, a journey that led to a deepening understanding of the wider issues of plastics consumption and waste and becoming a prominent activist in that space and beyond. She has spoken for Maori and indigenous rights at the United Nations and in conferences around the world, has published a book of her collected work opposing the continued celebration of colonial history, Kia Mau: Resisting Colonial Fictions , and is continually writing, speaking and protesting for justice for humans and Papatuānuku/Mother Earth. The intention was for this episode to be Happen Films’ contribution to Plastic-free July – Tina being one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s waste resistance heroes – and the idea was to talk about waste within the context of environmental, indigenous and human rights. And we do… but the focus of the conversation turned out to be colonisation – its history; its day-to-day presence – and what decolonisation might look like. That’s an appropriate conversation to be having at any time and feels particularly resonant right now, within the extraordinary context of this year, 2020, and everything it’s bringing forth to challenge our thinking, our history, our practices and our plans for the future. As Tina says: “Anti-colonialism is not just for indigenous people. Anti-colonialism, anti-imperialism and anti-racism is for everyone – we’ll all get well-being out of deconstructing the ways in which we believe that we have entitlement to each other’s spaces and places and bodies.” We hope you enjoy listening to Tina’s wise and profound words and come away as inspired as we have! Community, Zero Waste 73 mins Five ways you can help increase our reach and impact Click on the options below to find out more about each one. Find out how 5 Host a community film screening 4 Become a Patreon subscriber 3 Make a one-off donation 2 Sign up for our newsletter 1 Share a film with someone

FILMS ABOUT REGENERATIVE NATURE Allowing nature space to regenerate herself wherever humans have impacted on her, and taking part in regenerating nature in whatever ways we can, are critical steps. This is our transition away from consuming nature as a resource and instead seeing ourselves as part of nature, scarred when she is scarred, depleted when she is depeleted, sickened when she is sickened. In these films we meet people who are working to regenerate land, sea or species in whichever way they've felt called to do. Browse all films Filter options: Use the buttons below to filter the list of films. You can select more than one option, and click again to deselect. Feature (+40 mins) Mid-length (21-40 mins) Short (0-20 mins) Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening, Community Rongoā Māori 11 mins Rongoā is the healing practice and an essential element of the worldview of Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living The City Food Commons 12 mins The commons has been an almost-forgotten concept, and yet once provided so much community resilience. This film showcases a new approach. Regenerating Nature, Food & Gardening Fishing for the Future 17 mins A small-scale, thoughtful and ethical approach to fishing our oceans is possible – this family is leading the way. Permaculture, Food & Gardening, Urban Living, Regenerating Nature Growing Wild Together 16 mins We revisit the food forest we filmed five years ago to discover what's changed and how much more wild it's all become – plants and people! Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature The Food Forest Farmers 24 mins What role do humans play in Earth's ecosystems and how can we be good stewards of the land? This film showcases syntropic farming as a way. Community, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Farming From Weedy Forests to Grassy Woodlands 12 mins A film exploring how the simple practice of grazing goats on wild lands can lead to a healthier forest and a more connected community. Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Farming Limestone Permaculture Tour #3 17 mins Our second film with Brett and Nici of Limestone Permaculture, and the third film in our Permaculture Tours series. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature Melliodora Tour 11 mins A tour of David Holmgren and Su Dennett's 1-hectare permaculture paradise – explore the home and garden of the co-founder of permaculture. Community, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living An Invitation for Wildness 20 mins The Guytons have made a name for themselves as forest gardeners. In this first of two films we tour the forest when it is 23 years old. Regenerating Nature, Simple Living Fools & Dreamers 30 mins Does regenerating a native forest mean hundreds of staff or volunteers planting individual tress? What about leaving it to nature? Community, Simple Living, Regenerating Nature, Urban Living, Permaculture, Economy, Farming, Food & Gardening, Homes & Building, Zero Waste Living the Change 86 mins Living the Change is a feature-length documentary that explores solutions to the global crises we face today. Farming, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature Restoring Paradise 8 mins A short film showcases Mangarara Farm, where holistic grazing practices are regenerating the land to the biodiverse fields that once were. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature, Economy From Finance to Farmer 15 mins Explore the beautiful food forest Andrew Martin has created from a paddock of grass, and learn all the reasons why he's doing so. Farming, Food & Gardening, Permaculture, Regenerating Nature Limestone Permaculture Tour #1 13 mins The first of two Happen Films tours of well known Limestone Permaculture Farm, where an abundance of food and medicine is grown on 1 acre.