The screenings listed below will take place in SCREEN 1 at the LockWorks Cinema (18 Fryer Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 1HT) on Saturday 9th May.
All screenings are subtitled. To purchase your Saturday daytime ticket – visit here.
Titles on the Deaffest Online Cinema will be available to watch from 1st April until 31st May 2026.
10:30am: A Quiet Love
Dir. Garry Keane, Ireland, 2025 (Dur. 95min)
In this intimate feature documentary, three Deaf couples share their remarkable love stories, through sign language: a 50 year forbidden love affair between a couple from both side of a religious divide, an LGBT couple traversing the challenges of parenting Deaf and hearing daughter, and a Deaf boxer and her hearing partner faced with an impossible decision. This collection of cinematic love letters explores the complexities of Deaf relationships and presents and uplifting portrait of enduring love. An immersive soundscape challenges conventional perceptions of sound.
Content warning: This programme contains archive material from the Northern Ireland conflict and references to pregnancy loss
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
12:05pm: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore
Dir. Shoshannah Stern, USA, 2025 (Dur. 97min)
In 1987, Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the spotlight at 21 years old. Reflecting on her life in her primary language of American Sign Language, Marlee explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer.
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
1:50pm: Eremos Trilogy
Dir. Sam Arnold, UK, 2025 (Dur. 24min)
Eremos Trilogy is the first-ever Deaf short film anthology, and entirely self-funded. Eremos derived from the Greek word for “solitude” is the central theme that connects all three films. The trilogy follows three different deaf protagonists as they navigate various forms of isolation in modern society. Each story explores challenges unique to the deaf community, blending gritty, thought-provoking narratives with a touch of dark humour.
Content warning: This programme contains references to suicide attempts, sex addiction, and drug abuse.
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
2:14pm: Salt&Pepper
Dir. Con Mehlum, Norway, 2024 (Dur. 75min)
On a winter evening in Oslo’s elegant Oscars gate, three couples reunite for dinner after years apart due to the pandemic. All in their forties, five of them share childhood bonds. What begins as light conversation soon reveals deeper changes: life choices have reshaped their relationships, and the sense of unity they once had is fading. As the evening unfolds, buried secrets and past traumas surface, sparking tension and conflict. The atmosphere grows increasingly charged, culminating in a shocking climax no one could have foreseen when the night began.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
3:40pm: Ghost Sandwich
Dir. Lymon Thorn, USA, 2024 (Dur. 4min)
A deaf woman struggles to order a sandwich.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
3:44pm: Sense
Dir. Adrean Mangiardi & Mark Levin, USA, 2025 (Dur. 5min)
Mark Levin’s poem “Sense” explores the idea that our perceptions and sensory experiences may not reflect reality as we believe. it questions the reliability of what we see, hear and feel, suggesting that our understanding of the world is shaped by illusions or misconceptions. through reflective and through-provoking language, Levin challenges viewers to reconsider how they interpret their surroundings and the truth behind their senses.
Content warning: This programme contains thought-provoking themes about perception and reality.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
3:49pm: The Tales of Victor The Misfits Creator
Dir. Paul Miller, UK, 2025 (Dur. 14min)
In a dark forest beneath a crooked castle, Victor brings a misunderstood monster to life in a crackling laboratory experiment. When communication fails, the lonely creature escapes into the enchanted woods in search of connection. There, he meets Lily, sparking an unexpected friendship. Together they face danger, uncover secrets within the eerie castle, and stand against Victor’s sinister plans. This is a magical story of friendship, resilience, and how love can overcome fear and adversity.
(Available on Deaffest Online Cinema)
4:03pm: a love letter to the light
Dir. MJ Kiego, USA, 2024 (Dur. 9min)
A filmmaker redefines the essence of cinema by questioning the role of sound, inviting audiences to rediscover the power of imagery and light in storytelling.
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
The film premieres listed below will take place at the LockWorks Cinema (18 Fryer Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 1HT) on Friday 8th May. All screenings are subtitled. To purchase your ticket and choose your time slot, visit here.
8:05pm / 9:35pm: The Eye | Dir. Deanne Bray, USA, 2026 (Dur. 25min)
In this sly comic zinger from Director Deanne Bray and Executive Producer Troy Kotsur, a hearing Hollywood casting director is having no luck casting a Deaf role, whom she thinks are inexperienced. When an actor named Frank (played by John Maucere) walks in, however, the casting director gets more than she bargained for.
Content warning: This programme contains language and behaviour that may be triggering for members of the signing community. Some signs used in the film may be inaccurate or differ from internationally recognised signs. The story is loosely based on true events from the 1990s.
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
8:30pm / 10:00pm: Green Grass | Dir. Aram Atkinson, UK, 2025 (Dur. 17min)
Declan, a disengaged university coaster, must confront his long-hidden identity when forced to work with the fiercely independent new Deaf student, Claire. Opposite in so many ways, it is only a matter of time before their differences bubble to the surface, but so will their similarities that make them question everything they knew to be true in this coming-of-age drama.
Content warning: This programme contains swearing
(Unavailable on Deaffest Online Cinema)
With two months to go until you can #SigninStyleatDeaffest 2026, we’re announcing two UK premieres at the festival launch on the evening of Friday 8 May!
🎬 ‘The Eye’ – directed by Deanne Bray (USA)
A pressure cooker of a casting director’s room, the film turns a steady gaze on power, access, and who gets to decide what “fits.”
(Content warning: This programme contains language and behaviour that may be triggering for members of the signing community. Some signs used in the film may be inaccurate or differ from internationally recognised signs. The story is loosely based on true events from the 1990s)
🎬 ‘Green Grass’ – directed by Aram Atkinson (UK)
Declan, a disengaged university coaster, must confront his long-hidden identity when forced to work with the fiercely independent new Deaf student, Claire. Opposite in so many ways, it is only a matter of time before their differences bubble to the surface, but so will their similarities that make them question everything they knew to be true in this coming-of-age drama.
(Content warning: This programme contains swearing)
Two UK premieres. One opening night.
Have you got your Friday ticket yet? Get yours here – Deaffest 2026 launch night tickets are limited, so book early to avoid missing out!
Deaffest 