Story of Deaffest 2009
Deaffest, the UK’s only Deaf-led Film and Television Festival which celebrates the talents of Deaf filmmakers and media artists took place at Light House in Wolverhampton from 27 – 29 November, and saw attendances of 1300 people with a diverse mix of Deaf and hearing filmmakers, media practitioners, industry organisations, students and the general public from across the UK and overseas. The eleventh Deaf film & television festival to be held at Light House in Wolverhampton since 1998, the event attracts films directed and produced by Deaf filmmakers from the UK and all around the world including Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea and Israel.
Film & TV Gala Awards
The highlight of the festival weekend was the Deaffest Film & TV Gala Awards which presented awards for the Best Drama, Best Experimental Film, Best Factual Film, and Best Deaf TV Programme. And the winners were:
Best TV Programme:
Wicked Series 2 Prog 1 Ramon Woolfe, UK, 2009
Best Experimental Film:
The Deaf Man Dir DJ Kurs, USA, 2007
Best Factual Film:
The Deaf Brain Dir Sarah Tavner, UK, 2009
Best Drama:
Stiletto Dir William Mager, UK, 2008
Highly Commended: Glee Dir Jules Dameron, USA, 2009
The red carpet event was hosted by Sabina Iqbal, founder of Deaf Parenting UK and nominated as one of the most powerful Muslim Women in Britain by The Times, with entertainment from Australian Deaf comedian and mime artist Rob Roy who passed through on his world tour. The festival also featured a well attended opening launch with speeches from Cllr Neville Patten, Leader of Wolverhampton City Council; Dr Judith Burnett, Dean, School of Law, Social Sciences and Communications, University of Wolverhampton and Sara Clowes, Head of Education, Archive and Audience Development, Screen WM.
Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries
A Deaf History on Film session conducted by the Midland Archive for Central England provoked interesting discussion on rarely-seen archive TV material and the history and attitudes towards Deaf people and Sign Language. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK also donated a free screening of their latest animated adventure UP. The Young Deaffest Awards showcased work produced by young Deaf filmmakers and surprise guests to the festival Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries, previously known as Max and OB from Hollyoaks, presented prizes to the young Deaf filmmakers and talked about their varied television and presenting career.
Marilyn Bueno Del Carpio scoops Best Actress Award at Remark! TV and Film Awards!
In 2007, an Actcess production, which was co produced and directed by Bim Ajadi and Pierce Starr, was nominated at the Deaffest Film Awards. Their film; The Guest tells the story of a Bed and Breakfast owner Valerie Clarke (played by Deaffest MC Marilyn Bueno Del Carpio). The larger than life character makes her first booking for over twenty years and is about to be awoken from her incredibly depressing life. But all hell is about to break loose because Valerie is no longer the young twenty something that was pretty and slim. She is instead a withered old hag that has devoted her life to Georgie (Brian Duffy), her troubled son. She sets out to entice her guest and invites him to her ‘party’. But will it turn out the way she has planned? Or is she in for a surprise?
Since being nominated at the 2007 Deaffest Film Awards and receiving film awards worldwide, Deaffest’s very own local Wolverhampton actors, Marilyn Bueno Del Carpio and Brian Duffy, received both the Best Actress and Best Actor award for their portrayal of Valerie Clarke and Georgie at the Remark! Film and Television Awards in London, November 2009.
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