We’re proud to unveil the judging panel for Deaffest 2026 – the 10th Film & TV Awards!
Our sincere thanks to these judges for the time and care they dedicated to reviewing the entries for this year’s Film & TV Awards.
With 11 accolades to be awarded, the winners will be revealed at the Gala on the evening of Saturday, 9 May 2026.
Want to watch it all unfold live? Grab your ticket here!
Bhulla Beghal is a UK-based writer and director working across scripted and unscripted film. His work explores lived experience and underrepresented perspectives through character-led, observational storytelling, often engaging with complex or emotionally charged subject matter. He is a three-time Royal Television Society award winner, with films recognised for both craft and social impact. Bhulla is the founder of BlueBell Films, which produces high-end work across the charity, research and community sectors. He is a member of BAFTA Connect, an industry advisor to Create Central, and a Governor at Longwill Primary School for Deaf Children.
“I’m captivated by the sheer variety of emotions, visual styles, and creative approaches across the submissions. The standard of work is outstanding, it’s inspiring to see filmmakers exploring such distinct and confident creative voices.” – Bhulla Beghal
Caroline O’Neill is a deaf BSL user and a pioneering BBC Commissioning Executive. With over 25 years in television, she has worked on landmark programmes including Joe & John Bishop: Life After Deaf, The Rap Game UK, and Disability & Abortion: The Hardest Choice. A passionate advocate for inclusion, Caroline co-founded Deaf & Disabled People in TV (DDPTV), growing its membership to over 2,600 and earning the Grierson Hero of the Year Award 2023. From popular programmes like Escape to the Country and Garden Rescue to impactful documentaries, Caroline promotes an inclusive, accessible media landscape that truly reflects an equitable society.
Charlotte Bogard Macleod is a playwright, whose work has been performed on BBC Radio 4 and the British stage. She is currently under commission to co-write a musical for The Curve Theatre and a feature film for Screen Australia. She is a recipient of the Jerwood Arvon Award and was nominated for a BBC Drama Award.
She founded, and co-runs The Script Factory, one of Britain’s leading film development organisations. She was an elected Board member the British Council, Scottish Screen and The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). She hosts The Screen Players Film Club podcast.
Multi-disciplinary Artist, Writer & Director Sofya Gollan is an award-winning filmmaker nominated for 4 ACCTA Awards (OZ’s equivalent to BAFTA) for Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Short Film for her films. IMAGINED TOUCH, travelled to Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in NYC and Melbourne’s ACMI in 2023, and was nominated for Director Best Short Documentary from the Australian Directors Guild. In 2024 she won an Australian Writer’s Guild Award for Best Screenplay for Documentary (Community) in 2024. As an actor she has worked with the Sydney Theatre Company, the National Theatre of the Deaf USA, multiple TV dramas, but is best loved for being a presenter on ABC’s Play School, where she is now Studio Director for series ‘Sensational Senses’.
“It was super exciting to be a judge for the 2026 Deaffest, to see the depth and complexity of work on offer from talented Deaf filmmakers. Both short and long format works presented excellent work in their categories, and – this is a great problem to have – it was difficult deciding which nominees to put forward to win. But more importantly, I never got bored watching the films and programs – which speaks to Deaf creative talent confidently tapping into what works for audiences. Applause!” – Sofya Gollan
To view the screening schedule for the nominated entries and festival screenings at Deaffest 2026, click the buttons below.
The screenings listed below will take place in SCREEN 1 at the LockWorks Cinema (18 Fryer Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 1HT) on Sunday 10th May.
All screenings are subtitled. To register for your Sunday ticket – visit here.
Titles on the Deaffest Online Cinema will be available to watch from 1st April until 31st May 2026.
10:00am: Detachable
Dir. Joshua Carver, UK, 2025 (Dur. 28min)
A young deaf woman wakes up hungover in the back of her car. She can’t find the processor for her cochlear implant and is unable to hear anything without it, so she attempts to retrace her steps from the night before. Meanwhile, two children find an unfamiliar magnetic object in the grass, but don’t know what to do with it.
Content warning: This programme contains mild adult themes.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
10:28am: Dinner Table Syndrome
Dir. Charlie Ainsworth, USA, 2025 (Dur. 13min)
A lonely deaf boy armed with “miracle cure” cochlear implants navigates a Thanksgiving dinner with the strangers who call themselves his family.
Content warning: This programme contains references to audism, oralism, and dinner table syndrome.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
10:41am: Language is Life
Dir. Stanko Pavlica, Switzerland, 2025 (Dur. 6min)
Growing up in silence, a 14-year-old deaf refugee has never known school, writing, or spoken language. In Switzerland, an interpreter discovers him and opens the door to a language school in Zurich. There, he encounters sign language for the very first time – unlocking communication, identity, and a sense of belonging. Based on a true story, Language is Life is a powerful testimony to how language can restore not only words, but an entire life.
Content warning: This programme contains themes of mild emotional distress.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
10:47am: My Deaf Papa
Dir. Anthony Cheung, Hong Kong, 2024 (Dur. 20min)
Wyatt is a deaf father who works quiet night shifts, coming home only to share breakfast with his daughter, Allison. As a CODA, Allison navigates a world Wyatt can’t hear, finding her own voice by teaching sign language on content creation platforms. But when her videos go viral, the sudden exposure leads to a heated clash. In a moment of anger, Wyatt accidentally breaks Allison’s camera. Now, he must find a way to repair more than just a lens, bridging the gap between his silence and her world.
Content warning: This programme contains depictions of physical and emotional abuse.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
11:07am: たちを祝福してください (Please Bless us)
Dir. Tomomi Yokoo, Japan, 2024 (Dur. 62min)
This is a film that artistically depicts the hardships faced by deaf women in Japan, such as forced sterilization through eugenic surgery, the era when the use of sign language was prohibited, and the decline in court compensation for women with disabilities. It’s a silent movie. Sometimes the screams of deaf old women are included.
Content warning: This programme contains references to miscarriage and violence.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
12:09pm: Remote Strutting
Dir. Lorna Fitzsimons, Ireland, 2024 (Dur. 12min)
An imaginative young IT professional battles self-limitations that prevent her from stepping out of her comfort zone and into the real world.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
12:21pm: Smothered Hands
Dir. Iléana Pansiot-Villon, France, 2024 (Dur. 20min)
When Maya and Nora join Lucas to plan a dinner at an Italian restaurant, latent tensions emerge between them. What should have been a moment of camaraderie takes an unexpected turn, casting doubt on the future of their friendship.
Content warning: This programme contains themes of a toxic relationship.
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
12:41pm: So Beautiful
Dir. Sofya Gollan, Australia, 2025 (Dur. 10min)
An experimental short documentary about an Auslan Sprite who must protect her sign language in order to survive.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
12:51pm: Strawberry Cheesecake
Dir. Sean L. McParland, Australia, 2025 (Dur. 9min)
An ice cream cart, a sunset, and a shared memory—two strangers rediscover a connection that speaks louder than words.
This film was made in collaboration with Bus Stop Films participants in Gold Coast, QLD.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
1:00pm: The Power of Goodbye
Dir. Audrey Sangla, France, 2025 (Dur. 23min)
When Christiane learns that her daughter Margot, who is suffering from a degenerative disease, wants to end her life, she is forced to confront a profound challenge to her maternal love.
Content warning: This programme contains references to illness and death
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
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