Thursday the 16th of November 2023 saw the last stop of this year for Deaffest on Tour, which took place at Arlington Arts Centre in Newbury!
Deaffest was invited to curate a media-focused Careers Convention Day. The closed event took place on the grounds of Mary Hare School, and deaf pupils ranging from Year 7 up to the Sixth Form enjoyed inspiring and stimulating presentations, film screenings, workshops, and interaction with the Deaf professionals involved.
The morning started off with Deaffest and BSL Zone’s stalls, where Mary Hare pupils were welcomed with Deaffest’s goody bags and BSL Zone’s freebies!
Year 7 to 9 pupils were greeted in the Auditorium by Deaffest Co-Founders, Nikki Stratton and Marilyn Willrich, who kick-started the day with an empowering presentation outlining Deaffest’s history and highlighting the great milestones that Deaffest has achieved over the last 17 years.
Illuminating visual clips from Deaffest’s previous festivals, the Deaffest 2017 promo video, and the ‘I Believe’ music video were screened, enabling the pupils to experience Deaffest and witness the work of Deaf professionals.
“The day was incredible and it was so great to see so many young D/deaf pupils inspired by the days’ events! Only for the day but buzzing with excitement, it was an empowering day as we carefully curated the programme to educate and entertain the hungry minds of the young D/deaf generation. We were delighted to learn that pupils have expressed their interest in producing new films in the future, so watch this space at Deaffest! We want to thank Mary Hare School for inviting the Deaffest team and for providing an opportunity for D/deaf young people to gain an insight into the world of Deaf Media and Arts.” – Nikki Stratton, Co-founder & Director of Deaffest
BSLBT’s Audience Development Manager, Jen Dodds, and Executive Producer, Julian Peedle-Calloo, introduced BSL Zone with a screening of BSL Zone’s hip-hop drama ‘Here/Not Here’.
They inspired the pupils by sharing information about the various professions involved in the making of the drama, as well explaining the various job roles in the BSLBT team. This promoted positive examples and role models for those who aspire to pursue a career in the media industry.
After a fun and thought provoking morning of presentations and film screenings, lunch then took place at Blount Hall, which was a trip down memory lane for some of the professionals involved, who are former Mary Hare pupils!
Older pupils joined the afternoon events, which included motivational and inspiring presentations, such as ‘How to succeed, then fail, then succeed again in Film and TV’ by award-winning Producer and Director Louis Neethling.
With nearly 30 years of experience under his belt, Louis explained how he got to where he is today, progressing from being a runner to Executive Producer. He explained about the variety of skills he has learnt throughout career in his varied roles, and emphasised the importance of having passion in the role[s] you undertake.
High profile Deaf media presenter, performer, and content creator, Jazzy Whipps, shared her journey as a Social Media Influencer. Jazzy talked about her successes and challenges, gave tips and advice, and explained how to stay safe online. She revealed how having a channel opened doors for her, leading to roles such as facilitating workshops, presenting, and acting!
The day ended with informative workshops, where pupils had the opportunity to partake in a media-related group of their choice. Producer and Director, Louis Neethling, delivered a step-by-step guide to making a short film, Jazzy Whipps ran a taster on making a social media based video, and Julian Peedle-Calloo, and Production Executive, Stephanie Burke held a Television Career Pathways workshop.
Thank you to everybody involved in the events, especially Mary Hare School for making the last stop of Deaffest on Tour 2023 a memorable one!
Deaffest is seeking qualified British Sign Language interpreters, International Sign interpreters, and Deaf Relay interpreters for its 15th edition of the festival in Wolverhampton from the 10th to the 12th of May 2024. If you are interested, please get in touch at Deaffestinterpreters@zebra-access.com as soon as possible!
Pulling out all the stops, Deaffest, the UK’s leading Deaf-led Film & Arts Festival is BACK and will be taking place at THREE NEW VENUES in Wolverhampton, UK from 10th to 12th May 2024, where you can Tune in to Deaffest’s 15th Anniversary!
Marking this special anniversary milestone with a music theme, the internationally recognised festival will be bigger, with a line-up of films showcased both at the festival and via its brand-new online cinema. All this and more, with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery.
“It is both incredible and rewarding to see how far Deaffest has come! Deaffest has been strengthened over the years, festival by festival, thanks to all those who were involved in many different capacities. The Deaffest platform has continued to support and develop the talents of emerging and established d/Deaf filmmakers, actors, and artists from the UK and across the globe. Deaffest has proudly screened nearly 420 films from 36 countries, which were produced by d/Deaf directors and/or featuring d/Deaf actors/performing artists, since the first edition in 2006!” Deaffest Co-Founder – Marilyn Willrich
“Deaffest has and will continue to preserve the importance of Deaf culture, sign languages, including British Sign Language, and Deaf heritage. To contribute towards building a bridge of inclusion between Deaf and hearing media and arts professionals and industries, in the breaking down of communication barriers. The film and media-related opportunities the festival offers contribute to the self-confidence and empowerment of d/Deaf individuals of all ages, expanding their potential to achieve. All supported by the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery. Deaffest 2024 will take place during national Deaf Awareness Week, and we hope you can join us in Tuning in to Deaffest’s 15th Anniversary!” Deaffest Co-Founder – Nikki Stratton
Deaffest 2024 will be taking place at three venues: University of Wolverhampton which has given great support to Deaffest in the past and offers Screen School facilities for developing skills in the digital arts and media industries, Arena Theatre – known for its quality diverse theatre programmes in the West Midlands, and lastly The Halls Wolverhampton (previously titled The Civic Hall), a music venue renowned for its live music events.
At these venues, the festival’s 15th edition will offer a packed programme, including subtitled film screenings and accessible events, including an art & photography exhibition, panel discussions, workshops, a stalls fair, performances, plus the widely anticipated 9th Film and TV Awards Gala and Late-Night Party, with networking opportunities! Visitors from the UK and across the globe are welcome to explore Deaffest 2024 and take part in the accessible festivities!
Under the festival’s theme, different forms of music will be explored through the skills and talents of musicians, filmmakers, actors and performing artists. Deaffest has been privileged to have worked with both UK and international d/Deaf individuals who have contributed to the music scene at past festivals and Deaffest aspires to bring further Deaf talents to the forefront where visitors can learn, enjoy, and be inspired by them.
“Music is shared universally through many different pathways and is a way of communicating and evoking emotions. Music isn’t restricted to just listening to sounds; widen your horizons and experience music through different forms such as films, music videos, sign songs, visual vernacular, hand tutting, vibrations, dance movements, visual arts, and more at Deaffest 2024! Come and swing dance, moonwalk, or even salsa dance into the festival, explore and be inspired by the music theme, through the talents and skills of musicians, filmmakers, actors and performing artists, no matter what your decibel levels are!” Deaffest team
Stay tuned in with Deaffest’s upcoming news on www.deaffest.co.uk including becoming a sponsor, holding a stall, and opportunities for visual artists to exhibit their work. Events/workshops, and ticket information will also be available on Deaffest’s website.
Deaffest is currently accepting film submissions which are free to submit until the early bird deadline of 10th November, 5pm (GMT). After this deadline, a £30.00 fee will apply. The final deadline is 8th December 2023, 5pm (GMT).
You can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up for Deaffest e-newsletters, and by following @Deaffest on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X and Tiktok (#TuneintoDeaffests15th).
For more information, please contact enquiries@deaffest.co.uk.
Deaffest is a project run under Zebra Access CIO and is one of the finalists for the National Lottery Awards 2022, recognised for supporting and developing the talents of many emerging and established deaf filmmakers and artists from the UK and worldwide, for over 15 years. You can view the history of Deaffest here and enjoy its rich archive.
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