See Hear - Series 28 - Episode 25

Filmmaking is big business these days - from Hollywood to Bollywood, the film industry makes millions of pounds every year. But in the deaf world, how easy is it to get into the movie business? Deaf filmmakers have had a helping hand over the past ten years with the British Deaf Association’s establishment of the annual Deaf Film Festival, which was recently taken over by Zebra Uno and Lighthouse and rechristened "DeafFest". The festival aims to encourage deaf people to get involved in film-making. This year's DeafFest has seen a more diverse set of films, and See Hear introduces you to the highlights and the key players of the festival, and asks Robert Hanks, film critic from The Independent, and Cathy Heffernan, See Hear's residential film critic and sub-editor for The Guardian, what they make of this year's collection! LOUIS NEETHLING Louis is renowned for directing the BBC drama series "Switch" and several films including "Coming Out", which won several awards. Louis set himself a huge challenge this year, taking a step away from his established style and incorporating special effects to add magic to "Horatio"; the story of a ghostly figure who visits a second-hand bookshop to cast a romantic spell. CHARLIE SWINBOURNE Writer Charlie Swinbourne has been involved in the film and TV industry for a number of years, notably writing the very popular "Coming Out" in 2006 ; this sparked a desire to try his hand at directing. Last year he took that step by writing and directing "Four Deaf Yorkshiremen", which was a huge hit and earned its place in the deaf history books thanks to the facial expressions, storytelling and camera work which truly encapsulate deaf culture. Charlie is back at DeafFest this year with a sequel - "Four Deaf Yorkshiremen and the Missing Wife" - showing that, as before, it's possible to make films with absolutely no budget. WILLIAM MAGER Anyone who knows William is well aware of his consuming passion for all things to do with filmmaking. He's been writing and directing for many years, creating films such as "Waterfront" and "Hope" and of course, putting in many years of loyal service here at See Hear! For William's new film "Stiletto" he decided to take up a huge challenge - to direct a cast of hearing actors in a "mainstream" film, with no references to deaf culture. His aim? To show that deaf people can make it in the mainstream, but what do the DeafFest audience think? NEWCOMER FILM MAKERS - ZEBRA UNO There are plenty of wannabe deaf filmmakers out there, but it's tough to get your foot in the door and get the skills and cash to develop your ideas. Zebra Uno, the production company that backs DeafFest, have provided a helping hand to filmmakers of the future. At last year's DeafFest they ran a series of workshops on all aspects of filmmaking, then offered £1000 grants to two groups who had attended the workshops so they could take ideas and put them on the big screen. We take a look at those films, "The Tape" and "The World Today" and get some feedback from the audience and the critics on these filmmakers debuts.