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Calling the shotsFancy being the next Stephen Spielberg? Or finding out who else might be? Now is a good time to start. The first ever London Deaf Film Festival is on this weekend (29 and 30 March) at the OTHER Cinema in Rupert Street, W1, showcasing the work of some of the best deaf film-makers. The festival was set up by the British Deaf Association (BDA). The BDA's Lucy Franklin and Michael Quinlan told VEE-TV they hope the festival will help raise the profile of deaf film-makers and general deaf awareness. And support for deaf film-makers doesn't stop there. There will be a one-day seminar on film-making, delivered by industry experts, at the festival. 'Currently there is no training specifically for deaf people and the BDA hopes this class will be the first of many,' Lucy says. BursaryThere's more good news: every year the BDA gives a bursary allowing a deaf film-maker to make their own film. 'We are looking for a fresh idea, and one that can be realistically achieved within the budget available,' says Michael. 'Applications just need to demonstrate they can do this.' Any ideas? No filming experience is necessary. But you need to get your skates on: the closing date for the current round of applications is 4 April. You can download a copy of the form here. The winning entry will be screened at the eighth Deaf Film & TV Festival, to be held in Wolverhampton from 21 to 23 November 2003. TalentThere's certainly bags of talent out there, as VEE-TV proved with our own short-film strand, PULSE. Billy Mager, who has made three films, Waterfront, Betrayed and Hope, the last of which won the Rising Star award at the Chicago Deaf Film Festival, is currently working on a deaf James Bond film, among other things. VEE-TV asked him how he comes up with the subjects for his films. 'I have a big folder at home where I scribble ideas down on a regular basis,' Billy says. 'Sometimes the ideas are very abstract. Last week, I wrote "Tom Waits for no man" and left it there.' Billy thinks there are far too few deaf directors working in the mainstream. Ayesha Azfar agrees. Ayesha studied film and TV at university and got her big break when VEE-TV asked her to make a PULSE film. 'I'd like to see more accessible film studies courses and more subtitled and signed film and TV,' she says. 'Many deaf films are good and original and deserve credit in the wider industry as well as in the Deaf community.' If you don't get that BDA bursary this time around, Billy advises you to take up surfing. 'Start by looking at the website www.shootingpeople.org, look out for unpaid runner jobs and take it from there. And try specialist websites like www.startintv.com. Also, the BBC do internships for disabled trainees, so keep an eye on www.bbc.co.uk/jobs. Basically, keep surfing the web and keep an eye out for anything which seems to be connected with the media.' See Find out more for more useful websites. Access If you're more interested in watching films than making them, opportunities are also improving. We talked to Tony Barlow, who edited the film Skye, which is featured at the London Deaf Film Festival. 'Subtitles on DVD are fantastic,' he says. 'I am so pleased that we have subtitled screenings at cinemas. Our choice is not limited to foreign films any more. Accessibility to films has never been better. Although I'm starting to notice that more and more newly released DVDs are NOT being subtitled. We need to stop this becoming more prevalent.' Taking the rap VEE-TV spoke to Ian Clark, the hearing director of Def, one of the films featured at the festival. 'Initially I didn't set about making a "deaf film" or a film about what it is to be deaf,' he says. 'I came up with the idea of a rapper who raps in sign language, and thought it would make sense visually. I then developed this idea into a story that has a universal theme – a teenage boy (played by 15-year-old first-time deaf actor, Matthew Royce) fighting against his position in society, the desire to follow an impossible dream, the desire to be accepted without conforming and so on.' As a hearing film-maker, Ian is concerned about the reaction to his film from deaf audiences. 'It is not really the position of a hearing writer or director to tell a story of what it is like to be a deaf person,' he says. 'But I think that a language that is wholly visual is fascinating and could be reflected in cinema (a visual medium) much more than it has been ... I wanted the film to be accessible to both [hearing and deaf] audiences – I'll just have to wait and find out.' Matthew Royce, Def's leading actor, first heard about the film at Leeds deaf club. He seems to be a natural – but as an actor, not a rapper! 'I didn't learn my lines till about a week before we started filming,' he admits. 'I remembered them all, except the rapping. I had to do about 12 takes to get that right!' Matthew is looking forward to the festival, but thinks it will be strange in some ways – 'people knowing me when I don't know them!' George Clooney and Brad Pitt probably feel the same way. Find out moreJobs and funding links Arts Council Awards
for All BBC Jobs Britfilms British
Deaf Association British
Film Institute Channel
4 Brilliant Careers Commedia
Millennium Awards Deaf and
Creative Film Council FilmFour Four All National
Film and Television School, UK Picture
This Remark!
Films Shooting
People StartinTV.com Other useful links Access2Arts EyethFilms Hear My
Hands Learndirect The Other
Cinema Projector
Films Reel Mind Scottish
Screen Sgrin
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