Deaffest

Photos were taken by Rene van Rjin

From Friday 15 to Sunday 17 January, Deaffest Co-ordinator Marcella and her assistant Louise flew to Amsterdam to attend a seminar at the Cinema Het Ketelhuis.

Hosted by Deaf in the Picture festival organiser Tony Bloem, Managing Director Alex de Ronde and Visual Communication Maker Bart Koolen, the seminar took place over the weekend period. International filmmakers and festival organisers from the Netherlands, Italy and France have participated in this proactive discussion regarding the EDC (European Deaf Cinema) where experiences and expertise were exchanged.

The participants were welcomed on Friday night with a summary of what was to happen the next day. With an early start on the Saturday morning, the discussion ran from 10am till 7pm including establishing the goals of the EDC. Future prospects were shared and discussed amongst the participants. The introduction of the EU (European Union) and EUD (European Union of Deaf) was presented by Executive Director of the EUD Mark Wheatley.

Saturday evening was packed with films produced by the participants including Fire Signs by David Bowie, Doof Opgelucht by Bosch school & Tony Bloem, Coming Home and Departure Lounge by Louis Neethling, Deaf in the Picture 2007 by Tim de Graaf, Amsterdam Visual News by Bart Koolen and Dead Money by Bim Ajadi, winner of the 2009 Ben Steiner Bursary.

With many thanks to the hosts and participants, the weekend was very valuable.

You can now download the Deaffest 2010 Submissions Form and submit your film to Deaffest 2010.

This application process is for films to be screened during the festival programme and entered into the Best in Festival award, which will credit the most outstanding film in Deaffest 2010 and offer the winner recognition and publicity in association with the festival. Films entered for submission must be returned with this form by Wed 31 Mar 2010. Check the form for entry criteria.

Good luck!

From 2010 onwards Deaffest will be held in the summer. This year the festival will be from 21 to 23 May at Light House Media Centre. The festival team are currently starting to programme this year’s festival and we will announce more details soon. One thing we can guarantee is that the courtyard in the historic Chubb Buildings will be sunnier and warmer this year (fingers crossed!).

Put the date in your diaries and we will see you in the summer!