Norman is a communication studies professor at Gallaudet University. She is the director and producer of the university’s first WORLDEAF Cinema Festival, which runs through Sunday.
Talk about the history of deaf cinema.
Visual storytelling is integral to the deaf way of being. So, when filmmaking came along, it was a no-brainer for deaf people to record on film their wonderful stories in sign language in order to preserve them and share them with other deaf people.
How have deaf people been portrayed by Hollywood?
For the most part, portrayals of deaf people by Hollywood are limited and misleading. The main focus seems to be on our “broken ears,” rather than on people who just happen to be deaf but who experience the same trials and tribulations, joys and sorrows as anyone else. Another misconception of deaf people perpetuated by the media, including Hollywood, is the notion that our lives center on learning to speak or learning to hear. A good many of us choose not to speak, yet we live wonderfully productive lives.
How would you define deaf cinema?
I hesitate to say definitively what is or is not deaf cinema, as this is a huge debate within the deaf community. I can say this, though: Deaf people are “visu-centric,” that is, we communicate visually through sign language. And film is the perfect vehicle for capturing deaf peoples’ unique stories.
How is deaf cinema different from other film genres?
Films with deaf themes and directed by a deaf person offer the viewer a more nuanced interpretation of the story. For example, knowing how to shoot a scene where sign communication is taking place requires an understanding of the linguistics of sign language. Sign communication is much more than dramatic hand movements. – Anna Waugh
