Richard Griffiths

Deaffest is mourning the loss of our wonderful patron Richard Griffiths, who sadly died aged 65 last Thursday 28^th March, following complications after heart surgery. We offer our condolences to his family.

The award winning actor famous for many roles on stage and screen including Harry Potter and Withnail & I kindly consented to become Deaffest’s patron last year. In a beautifully hand written letter he told us he was “flattered to be invited to be a patron”. Richard went on to say that “The idea of encouraging Deaf people to get involved in making films, and here I don’t care how big or small the scale of the product, strikes me as being excellent”. Richard felt that “the visual attention of the camera’s eye” would be “more sensitive and striking” in films made by Deaf film makers.

Richard agreed to an exclusive interview for Zebra Uno in July last year at London’s Savoy Theatre, where he discussed his childhood growing up with Deaf parents and offered advice for Deaf film makers and actors. During the interview Richard surprised us by signing throughout, making it an unforgettable experience for all of us present and giving a unique perspective on this thoughtful and multi talented man.

The Richard Griffiths interview will be premiered at Deaffest on Friday evening 17^th May 2013 at Light House Wolverhampton.