L’éloquence des sourds

A documentary with an aim to raise awareness for workplace discrimination and see the world from the perspective of the deaf community.

Lotte (18) and Roos (16) are sisters and both have Usher syndrome. That means they will soon become deaf and blind. It is not known how fast that will go, but they already see and hear a lot worse than their peers. How do these two high-spirited girls deal with their development into adulthood, while the time bomb of deafness and blindness ticks inexorably? They are not deterred from getting the most out of life: Lotte is studying to become a photographer and Roos is passing her final exams. At the same time, they also want to do a few things before it is too late, such as seeing the Northern Lights with their own eyes. Director Kim Smeekes followed Lotte and Roos for the film for two years.

Sven has a dream. Once in his life he wants to walk the Camino de Santiago - the Way of St. James. But that seems impossible, Sven has Usher syndrome, a disease which slowly, inexorably robs him of hearing and vision. Profoundly deaf and completely blind since 2010, he can only communicate using a special hearing aid in the spoken language.

Unseen footage from the British Deaf Association archives is used to tell the story of the Deaf community's fight for civil rights.

Actress and Strictly Come Dancing 2021 winner Rose Ayling-Ellis reveals the daily challenges, discrimination, and barriers which are faced by deaf individuals.

A documentary that threads on the hidden conundrums in the deaf world. Within the deaf and the hearing world is a fine line - so what's it like to live within as an in-betweener?

An immersive, experiential film about the deaf world, with its unique humour and culture - a world which most of us rarely encounter. The film is in BSL: British Sign Language (with subtitles). There is no score, no commentary, and none of the conventions of normal film-making.

This film looks at the world of children with hearing loss and the importance of early diagnosis. With its straightforward, rigorous cinematic style and intimate approach to the subject, the film focuses on the human rather than the technical side of the problem of hearing impairment.

In American Sign Language (ASL) with subtitles available in English, Spanish and Canadian French. This powerful documentary uses real life experiences from Deaf people of varied social, racial, and educational boundaries showing how this form of oppression does lasting and harmful damage. Bonus materials include directors' comments from Ben Bahan and H-Dirksen Bauman and additional scences. Teachers: This film is a wonderful tool for beginning ASL students, as an introduction to a side of Deaf culture that cannot be found in any textbook.

A documentary that follows the story of Dario Pasquarella, deaf director and actor, and his company. Through his work, Dario seeks to bring together the deaf and hearing community, who are usually separated by a lack of communication. In his shows he uses both languages, LIS, sign language and spoken language, to tell stories in which the deaf and hearing can live in symbiosis.

Documentary following Deafinitely Theatre as they translate a classic Shakespeare play for a Deaf audience.

La surditude

Marcus Pabon-Lara loves swimming but is too self-conscious to take off his top in public. Will a mastectomy give him the body confidence needed to go for his first swim since he was a teenager? An honest insight into the experiences of a Deaf trans man, follows self-proclaimed “proud geek” Marcus during the lead up to his much-anticipated operation. Along the way, we meet his friends and his mother, finding out more about Marcus and how he feels about his transition.

“Inga Can Hear” is a story about the 15-year old Inga, a girl caught between two worlds. Being the only hearing member of a deaf family residing in the remote Latvian countryside, Inga has been the family’s interpreter in the hearing world since the age of seven. Her role in the family has forced her to grow up very quickly and her personality fluctuates between a responsible young woman and a moody teenager. Inga is about to graduate from middle school and has to make a decision on what to do next. Inga’s head is full of questions. To pursue a career as an actress? To become a firefighter? What will happen to the family, for whom she has sometimes been the only link to the outside world?

Nathan Quinell is a fully trained chef… he also happens to be legally deaf and blind. That’s never stopped him from chasing his dreams to become a full-time cook, but now Nathan must prove himself to his peers, his students and potential employers.

Jill and Michael Stark are both deaf, as are their two children. Stuck between two cultures and wanting the best future for their children, they make the controversial choice for both of their children to undergo surgery for cochlear implants. They are part of only a handful of deaf parents in the US to choose implants for their children. After this seven year journey, was the result of the cochlear implant what they had hoped for?

Growing up as a Deaf individual in Indonesia, Mufi was taught to speak instead of sign. As an adult, now she carves her music career to inspire others to express themselves through sign language.

Children of Deaf Adults, known as CODA, are caught in the middle, between the deaf and the hearing, between isolation and community, and between childhood and adulthood. Through the stories of three CODAs, discover how the unique upbringing of hearing children born to deaf parents can be considered both a burden and an opportunity and how it shapes who they are and who they become. Also hear from the parents themselves about how their condition unwittingly puts an impossible weight of responsibility on their children, who are forced into adulthood from the moment they learn to talk. Mother, Father, Deaf offers a previously unseen portrayal of contemporary reality for deaf families. Their stories, while deeply personal, mirror the experiences of CODAs around the world.

In his heartfelt documentary, co-director and subject Elad Cohen explores the meaning and experience of family. Growing up deaf and gay in a family of hearing people, Cohen never felt at home and always felt alone. That feeling of estrangement was exacerbated during his adolescence by the sudden death of his mother and the subsequent rift with his father as the family scattered in different directions. Cohen creates a sense of family with a small group of friends, including his best friend, Yaeli, a deaf woman. While he wants a child and a life partner, he fears that he won’t find the right man in the small deaf community in his “sweet little country.” Sharing a desire with Yaeli to be parents, the new “couple” decide to have a child in a shared parenting arrangement.

This film is a letter to my friend Vincent who died ten years ago. Vincent was Deaf. He introduced me to his language, his culture, his world. Through Vincent ‘s life, the film will examine the roots of the distress that plagues the Deaf, and also explore a rich and fascinating world, a people that struggles to preserve its Sign Language and Culture.