Saturday 7th May 2022: Events and workshops
PLEASE NOTE: There will be events/ activities happening in two different locations: Light House Media Centre and University of Wolverhampton Welcome Centre (The George Building). Workshops below require pre-booking.
TICKET IS REQUIRED FOR SATURDAY DAYTIME EVENTS (Age 16 and under – FREE)
9.00am – 5.00pm – Deaffest Stalls Fair
Courtyard, Light House
Come and see the stalls fair, open throughout the day on the courtyard at the Light House. On offer will be delicious food, original arts and crafts, activities and information from deaf-related businesses.
10.00am – 2.30pm – Live Performances by DeafMimo
Courtyard, Light House
Enjoy live performances by Stephen Robinson who will take on the role of “DeafMimo”. As a Mime Artist, he will be doing some miming with impressive facial expressions and comical movements, so watch out for him!
Workshops from 10.15am – 11.15am and again from 2pm – 3pm – Creative Comedy Workshop by John Smith
Studio Cinema, Light House
Do you want to learn how to be funny? Come and learn from a Deaf comedian, John Smith, who will share with you his experience and tips on how to use your creative mind to make your family and friends chuckle!
Visit the Deaffest stall to check for spaces. Please bear in mind that both of the Creative Comedy workshops are the same, and you will need to select your time preference on your form at the stall.
10.15am – 12.15pm – Filmmaking Tips Workshop by Danny Murphy
Room MTG no. 8, University of Wolverhampton Welcome Centre (The George Building), Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY
Come and watch Danny Murphy AKA Danny’s Skits for tips on how to make a film! Danny is a Deaf actor, filmmaker, and presenter. He uploads weekly videos on his social media which include parodies, jokes, vlogs, and news.
Before the tension arises, 20 participants will partake in one hour of “training camp” to learn how to produce a skit from start to finish and prepare for the games to begin.
The audience will then be split into teams, where they will battle their way through making a comedy skit from pre-production to post-production which will progressively increase in difficulty. The wigs and props will be provided for your content. BUT.. don’t forget about the ticking clock, as each team is given only 60 minutes to complete this challenge. Excitement, drama and competitive spirit are all part of the mix, as the challenges heat up while the teams have a blast!
At the end of the challenge, teams will be ranked based on the number of points they had been awarded throughout the competition.
FILMMAKING TIPS WORKSHOP IS NOW FULL.
11.30am – 12.30pm – Documentary Storytelling Workshop by Cathy Heffernan
Room MTG no. 6 and 7, University of Wolverhampton Welcome Centre (The George Building), Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY
Suitable for ages 18 and over
Are you an avid documenter? Do you want to create your own documentary, or have you considered developing a career in the industry? If so, you’re in the right place! Come along to this workshop led by Deaf journalist, producer, and documentary maker Cathy Heffernan. From Cathy, you will learn how storytelling can be used in documentaries.
Visit the Deaffest stall to check for spaces. Participants must have existing knowledge of, or have worked in, the TV and film industry.
Workshops from 11.30am – 12.30pm and again from 3.30pm – 4.30pm – An insight into Ish’s VV World Workshop by Ishtiaq Hussain
11.30am – 12.30pm – Studio Cinema, Light House
3.30pm – 4.30pm – Room MTG no. 8, University of Wolverhampton Welcome Centre (The George Building), Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1LY
Celebrating ten years of Visual Vernacular (VV) performances with Ishtiaq Hussain. This workshop welcomes you to experience the world of VV and invites you to journey through time with powerful storytelling. Ishtiaq will be teaching elements of VV, such as facial expressions and body movements. Commissioned by Creative Black Country in collaboration with Zebra Access and Birmingham 2022, his VV performances will continue into the Commonwealth Culture Festival with three short films that will be screened at various festival sites this summer. Details will be confirmed soon on www.birmingham2022.com/festival
Visit the Deaffest stall to check for spaces. The 3.30pm – 4.30pm workshop is now full but visit the Deaffest stall to check for spaces for the 11.30am – 12.30pm workshop.
12.30pm – 1.00pm & 2.30pm – 3.00pm – Midwives on Call by Vamos Theatre
Courtyard, Light House
Aprons starched, caps ironed, sensible shoes polished, and a bottle of Wartime Spirit secreted in their trolley, our Midwives on Call are ready to respond at a moment’s notice to any unexpected deliveries at festivals, parties or special events. Spick, span and no-nonsense, rely on our trusty Midwives to avert ‘medical emergencies’, check the public are in tip top health, and definitely deliver babies! Armed with bandages, towels and everything needed to avert a crisis, our girls – led by the formidable Matron – always keep calm and carry on.
1.00pm – 2.15pm – Exhibiting Artists’ Talks
Main Gallery, Light House
Find out more about the inspiration and techniques behind some of the artworks in our Deaf Art & Photography Exhibition! Our exhibiting artists/photographers will be giving short talks about their work and answering your questions.
(This event will be interpreted)
1.00pm – 2.00pm – How to be an influencer like me? Panel Discussion
Cinema One, Light House
Do you want to have your own channel like Jazzy on YouTube, become a filmmaker like Danny Murphy, or even create funny deaf awareness TikToks like Becky Helen! Why not come along to this panel and ask them how! Jazzy, Danny, and Becky will be giving up their secrets and tips so that you too can influence a whole generation!
(This event will be interpreted)
2.15pm – 3.15pm – The future of Female Professionals in the Film & TV Industry Panel Discussion
Cinema One, Light House
Join Deaf filmmakers Teresa Garratty, Aimee Campbell-Nottage, Camilla Arnold, and Raabia Hussain in their panel discussion covering the challenges women face when pursuing a career in the Film & TV Industry. Is the future promising or will our panellists have some concerns?
(This event will be interpreted)
3.15pm – 4.15pm – Story-telling event with Stephen Robinson
Studio Cinema, Light House
Suitable for ages 5 – 10
A storytelling event with Stephen Robinson AKA DeafMimo. Stephen will share his storytelling videos, including; The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Deaf Boy who Cried the Wolf (warning: this video contains some flashing lights) and The Gruffalo. Also, there will be a couple of live story-telling sessions!
Visit the Deaffest stall to check for spaces. All children need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian throughout the session.
3.30pm – 4.30pm – BSL Zone – meet the Executive Producers and Programme-makers Panel Discussion
Cinema One, Light House
Join us in this panel discussion to meet the BSLBT Executive Producers – Cathy Heffernan, Charlie Swinbourne and Julian Peedle-Calloo – and other representatives from production companies.
This is your chance to watch the discussion about how they work with deaf media professionals to make programmes for BSL Zone.
(This event will be interpreted)
We hope you have been enjoying Deaffest: Rewind and are looking forward to the last episode of the series, which will be out on Sunday the 17th of April!
Deaffest: Rewind wouldn’t be complete without interviewing… the founders of Deaffest! Host Adam Bassett interviews Deaffest Co-Founders Nikki Stratton and Marilyn Willrich about the UK’s leading Deaf-led Film & TV Festival. Running the 14th festival this May, they discuss how Deaffest has progressed since 2006 and share the challenges and highlights they’ve experienced over the past 16 years.
Nikki and Marilyn go over how Deaffest has supported individuals over the years including the Young Deaf Filmmakers Scheme, Young Deaffest and the Ben Steiner Film Bursary. Also, with Deaffest’s 15th anniversary approaching – what will the future bring for Deaffest?
We are not giving any spoilers away but it’s definitely another episode worth watching!
The video will be available online this Sunday, the 17th of April, at 7.00pm via this website. Alternatively, you can watch it on YouTube via our social media links.
The Master & Mistress of Ceremonies for Deaffest 2022 are Julian Peedle-Calloo and Yvonne Cobb! We are very much looking forward to having them join us at the festival.
Julian Peedle-Calloo
Julian has presented BBC’s See Hear with Yvonne Cobb for over 4 years now. During his previous stint on See Hear, he presented a variety of programmes on subjects as diverse as the arts, health, education and exploring deaf communities in America, Australia and Ukraine. He was the first ever BBC prime time deaf news reporter and also the first deaf reporter for a regional BBC news programme. He won the first ever Best Male Presenter award from Remark!
He hosted one series of Under the Lamp with Julian interviewing a variety of notable deaf people. As an actor, his credits include Holby City (BBC), New Tricks (BBC), Four Deaf Yorkshiremen (BSL Zone) and several short films including Louder than Words. Julian’s theatre work includes playing a Deaf icon, Laurent Clerc, for Dreamatorium.
Julian is proud to be a factual Executive Producer for BSLBT and has overseen many of their new commissions. such as Sign2Win, This is Deaf, and You, Me, Garden?
Yvonne Cobb
Yvonne is a bubbly Deaf businesswoman, and she is also, a proud third generation Deaf woman. Yvonne has over 25 years experience as an Assessor and Teacher in a broad range of disciplines; language, ICT and personal development, to name but a few. For the last four years, Yvonne has presented, BBC’s flagship programme for deaf and hard of hearing people, See Hear with Julian Peedle-Calloo. She is also the BBC’s first Deaf female News reporter. She began her TV career via her involvement in the BBC’s Changing Rooms programme, and with Channel 4’s Love Poetry.
Yvonne is the founder and owner of Yumma Food, which specialises in cookery and the importance of nutrition, both for the Deaf community and the wider food community . She is known as ‘the Deaf Nigella’ and loves vlogging about food tips and ideas! Yvonne was the winner of ‘Best Business Personality of the Year’ with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. She was also awarded ‘Best Regional Teacher’ with Signature. Additionally, she developed a successful baby signing training programme in the UK with a pool of trainers.
Yvonne has a passion for meeting new people, learning new skills and facing exciting challenges. She is married with three grown up children and a playful Springer Spaniel. She enjoys DIY, gardening, cycling and wild-water swimming.
Deaffest 