Deaffest

Producer, writer and director of Ingelore, Frank Stiefel has spent the majority of his career as a production executive in the television commercial production industry. First as the Executive Producer at Stiefel & Company and later at @Radical Media, he was responsible for the production of thousands of commercials:

 “Executive producer is primarily a business function, but it’s one of those jobs that allows for a great deal of interpretation. My interpretation has always leaned toward the creative execution of the Project….”

Stiefel has produced a number of short subject documentaries that appeared in the Telluride, Sundance and Berlin festivals. Over his time, Stiefel has worked with a range of directors, and finally turned his hand to directing by creating the documentary piece INGLELORE which is based on his own mother.

He first realized the story as a film when he watched his mother lecture to deaf students at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York.

“Ingelore is the first project that I have directed. Its original purpose was to leave the film to my children so that a record survived of their grandmother.”

The documentary depicts the life of his mother over the years and explores her history as a Deaf woman in Nazi Germany, discussing what happened through the past. Not only is this his first directed piece but also a turning point in Stiefel’s and Ingelores relationship as they face her past together.

Ingelore has been shortlisted for the Best Documentary at this year’s Film & TV Gala Awards.

Previously a chef, Paul Miller was told he had no hope of pursuing a career in art due to being Deaf. So he ended up settling for life as a chef. After spending years working in the kitchen he realised his passion was with art and design.

Paul took on a graphic design course at Newcastle College (Newcastle Upon Tyne) and followed with a foundation degree in Animation and Illustration. He was introduced to Bob Duncan, through Tessa Padden, a well-known Deaf TV presenter and interpreter. Bob Duncan is a producer of TV programmes, many which are in BSL (British Sign Language) for the Deaf Community. Bob helped Paul put together a proposal to present to Northern Film & Media (NFM) to create a film based on a children’s book created by Paul – ‘Rory’s Dental Appointment’. This became the short film ‘Rory’s teeth’.

Paul has illustrated various children’s books and is continuously developing his ‘Rory Stories’ alongside other TV projects heavily involved in providing animations for the Deaf community. He has also done workshops for both Deaf and hearing children and various children’s film festivals.

Rory Gets Fit has been nominated in the Best Experimental category at this years Gala Awards.

This is the first of a number of Filmmaker Profiles highlighting some of our Gala Shortlist in advance of this year’s festival…

Louis Neethling developed a love of film from a very young age. He was born into a Deaf family and raised in South Africa, eventually relocating to England.

“…my love of film making and story‐telling developed at an early age, from my father. He was always making family home movies with his cine camera. Once I was old enough to be trusted with his ‘baby’, I would help in making these family epics.”

Neethling started his career working as a presenter on SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation). This led to an interest in directing and he took a director and multi camera course. Louis became director and eventually executive producer of DTV (Deaf Television) where he directed his first dramatic piece ‘Young & Speechless’.

“That was it! I was hooked! I now knew what I wanted to do; I wanted to direct Deaf drama.”

Louis went on to win a ‘Rotary International Vocational Scholarship’ which allowed him to study in the UK and was where he created the short film Dis?ABLE. Louis relocated to London where he directed the BBC’s first sign-language drama, Switch. After this he continued with the BBC directing programme’s such as ‘Crimewatch’ and ‘Holiday’.

To gain more security and control over what he did, Louis set up company ‘Mutt & Jeff Pictures’ which is the only Deaf-led TV, film & drama production company. ‘Departure Lounge’ and the Deaffest nominated ‘Coming Home’ are evidence of the company’s approach to film by hiring Deaf screen writing talent and adapting stories to be told from the Deaf to the Deaf.

“….deaf lives, experience, culture and language were largely filtered through a hearing perspective. The result was, too often, inaccurate, patronising and badly informed which left the deaf audience frustrated and angry. Setting up Mutt & Jeff was an attempt to try and change all that.”

Coming Home has been selected in the Best Drama category at this year’s Film & TV Awards Gala on the Saturday night of the festival. Tickets available soon.