See Hear - Series 29 - Episode 8

This week’s See Hear has an in-depth profile of Sabina Iqbal, the founder of Deaf Parenting UK. Sabina has two hearing children with her husband Asif, and set up the organisation in April 2001 to provide support and resources for deaf parents of deaf or hearing children. She was recently named one of the twenty most powerful Muslim women in the UK, and has won several awards for her work. Deaf Parenting UK is growing into an internationally recognised charity, and has organised a key education conference on Friday 12 June at London's City Hall. The conference will focus on three key areas: educating professionals about the needs of deaf parents; accessing children's education; and educating deaf parents on their rights and entitlement. Also this week, Radha returns with another Culture Review, this time focusing on the latest developments in deaf film. She is joined by Cathy Heffernan, a film critic for The Guardian, and the TV and film director Louis Neethling. They discuss important new deaf films, as well as the representation of deaf characters within mainstream movies. FILMS FEATURED: Voices from El-Sayed, directed by Oded Adomi Leshem and distributed by First Hand Films. The Bedouin Village of El-Sayed has the largest percentage of deaf people in the world, and over generations a unique sign language has evolved as the primary mode of communication. This documentary focuses on a father's decision to give his son a cochlear implant. Anna's Silent Struggle, directed by Tom Linszen and Willy Lindwer, and distributed by Willy Lindwer, AVA Productions, The Netherlands. The moving story of an 82-year old woman who managed to survive Auschwitz despite being profoundly deaf. The film's deaf director tries to find out how deaf people were able to survive the horrors of Nazi persecution. City Rats, directed by Steve Kelly and distributed by Revolver Entertainment. Eight lost souls search for solutions to problems ranging from finding a better suicide method to defeating creative block and losing their virginity. Stars Danny Dyer, Susan Lynch and James Lance. Babel, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and distributed by Paramount. Four interlocking stories - all connected by a single gun - depicting a complex and tragic story of human lives. Hearing actress Rinko Kikuchi plays the role of a deaf-mute Tokyo teen. And finally, this episode also features the latest instalment of Memnos' Stories Behind the Signs, exploring some of the most fascinating regional variations.