Deaffest

Deaffest Co-Founder and Festival Director Nikki Stratton shares highlights from Deaf Way Film Festival 2025!

We were honoured to be invited to the long-awaited return of the world-renowned Deaf Way Festival at Gallaudet University, marking its first celebration in over two decades.

For those who remember it well, the original Deaf Way Festival, inaugurated in July 1989 at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., was a landmark international gathering celebrating Deaf culture, art, and language. With thousands of attendees, it showcased Deaf arts and research while fostering global connection. Deaf Way II followed in July 2002, growing even larger and further cementing its place in Deaf history.

Given Deaffest’s ongoing mission to champion Deaf-led film productions and support Deaf-led festivals around the world, you can imagine my excitement when the invitation arrived. Even more so because this was my first visit to Gallaudet University – the world’s only Deaf university, founded in 1864 – and firmly lodged on my bucket list for years. Sometimes the universe delivers with perfect timing – hey presto!

As part of the Deaf Way Film Festival, held at Gallaudet’s own Elstad Auditorium, Marilyn Willrich and I joined a Film Festival Alliance panel in front of more than 650 attendees.

Sitting alongside Deaf leaders and representatives from Deaf film festivals across the US and Canada, we shared insights and experiences on running film festivals, while emphasising the importance of supporting Deaf filmmakers and creatives and continuing to spotlight Deaf talent worldwide.

The audience was engaged, curious, and wonderfully eager to learn more about Deaf cinema and the work we all do – particularly Deaffest.

Alongside Marilyn and me, the panel included:

• MJ Kiego – Deaf Film Festival, Austin (and Director of Events, DeafWay Film Festival)
• Alexa Hickox – Unify Deaf Film Festival, Toronto
• Patty Liang – Seattle Deaf Film Festival
• Michael Kaufer – SignLight Film Festival / Slamdance Film Festival
• Brenda Schertz – Maine Deaf Film Festival

We also thoroughly enjoyed the impressive Deaf film showcases, primarily from the US, and the opportunity to engage with both new and familiar faces while learning about their journeys within the film industry. One particularly inspiring session, Through Our Stories: Storytelling and Representation in Film, brought together filmmakers to discuss the rewards, challenges, and lessons learned along the way.

The evening concluded in style with the Awards Ceremony at the Kellogg Conference Centre – glad rags firmly on.

Photos and videos can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/deafway.festival/

Our visit wouldn’t have been complete without a tour of the impressive 99-acre Gallaudet University campus itself. We were privileged to be guided by Richard Dougherty, Executive Director of Architecture and Facilities Management – and a native Deaf Irishman – who led us through the campus while delivering impromptu lessons in both Irish Sign Language and American Sign Language. With my Irish heritage, I was delighted to discover I could follow much of both, which felt like an unexpected (and very welcome) party trick. Learning about the university’s architectural evolution and the legendary architects behind its iconic buildings was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

The legacy of Gallaudet is deeply powerful – from notable alumni such as Nyle DiMarco to the award-winning Deaf President Now documentary, which highlighted the historic movement ensuring the university would always be led by a Deaf president.

Throughout the weekend, visitors and guests expressed genuine interest in Deaffest – some even going so far as to book flights already for the upcoming festival. We look forward to welcoming many first-time visitors very soon.

To round off our visit, we were invited to House 1, the official residence of President Bobbi, for a personalised tour. We also had the pleasure of meeting Tabitha Jacques, Director of Arts, Culture, and Experience, who curated such a phenomenal weekend from start to finish. And, as if that weren’t enough, we topped it all off with an open-air bus tour of Washington, D.C., taking in its iconic landmarks (video included!) – a perfect finale to an unforgettable experience!

I hope you enjoy my video here!

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PHOTO CREDITS: GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY

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By day, she’s a dedicated audiologist. By night and on weekends, she’s a content creator lighting up Instagram and TikTok with bold, insightful, and authentic content – with occasional glimpses into the world of audiology, all served with style and personality!

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