THE HAPPINESS EXPERIMENT it’s a short and very touching documentary by Jaccii Farris.

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It deals with the true story of Gary King, who is a father who responds to the suicide of the son Jason by spreading happiness throughout his community and affecting change through the message of choosing happiness.

The Experiment consists in putting “Happiness” one word sign marks all around the city where people can see them in front of: schools, residencies of veterans, buildings and street signs. To date he placed more than 600 marks all around.

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The documentary shot in in St. Petersburg, Florida, is introduced by a drone movement which approach us to this city and Gary’s story.

Through the interviews the director did here you can meet people whose lives were really changed meeting this signs.

Two women, Delaney McGinnis and Debbie Roche, for example spoke about their experiences of grief which was driving them to jump from St. Petersburg’s Skyway Bridge and were stopped by seeing this word. One of them declare that this sign is like a “reminder” that happiness is everywhere you have just to open your eyes and be open at it.

Then you have the point of you of a Veteran and a Psychoanalyst and all agree about the positive impact of this experiment.

Gary studied long time before creating this logo and was influenced by the laws of marketing communication: “the more times you can see a logo, the more times it’s at the top of your mind.” Meeting people who wrote to him after see the signs he was convinced about the power of this experiment and his mission is to continue for all this life helping other people to heal their soul as he did with his own after he had the “biggest trauma of his life”.

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The documentary has the value to deal with the story of this extraordinary man and his grief with a remarkable delicacy both in telling his story and in reporting the experiences of the people involved in the interviews.

The direction is in fact very intelligent and respectful of the father's pain as he cries at his son's grave: the camera stays far from the scene and the man's voiceover recounts his pain.

The music and the sound by Dale Hinson are also touching yet delicate, conveying a sense of newfound balance.

The son's life is also told through a montage of old photos, very well chosen by the director and exploited by the rhythm of Stephen Dean's editing.

Finally, the documentary also features statistics on suicide in Florida and shows how Gary's experiment had such a political impact that it led to the adoption of measures such as securing the bridge, making it less aesthetically pleasing and inaccessible to anyone who might consider attempting suicide. "Life is more important than any aesthetic."

For all these reasons, this precious documentary has been included in the Official Selection of the May 2025 edition of the Amsterdam New Cinema Film Festival.

The talented director of the film is Jaccii Farris. She originally hails from Roswell, New Mexico but now resides in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Jaccii is a 7-time Emmy winning News

Reporter and documentary director/writer/producer. Jaccii, with her film company, Julian Farris Films have won critical acclaim at film festivals, have won AP Best documentary and Edward R Murrow awards for their work.

She said about this film: " I hope to inspire audiences to reflect on their own journeys and the power of small acts of kindness. This film is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a reminder that happiness can be found in the most unexpected places”

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We share the aim and the power of this documentary that really captured our attention and we want to spread the last message on the end titles of the film:

“If you or some you know is struggling contact Suicide Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988 or chatting at 988lifeline.org they provide 24 hours confidential support.”

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Congratulations to Jaccii Farris and her crew!