WINDHOEK
CLaSH, the Association for Children with Language, Speech and Hearing Impairments of Namibia, will once again be celebrating Deaf Awareness Week with a series of new movies starting next week.
Fictional feature films and documentaries that deal with issues involving deafness, sign language, cochlear implants and finding one’s own identity, will be screened. From Monday till Friday the following movies will be screened at 19h15 at the Goethe Centre in Windhoek.
Monday, Sept 7
Silent Love (2001) is a highly regarded Swiss drama / romance. Antonia is a deaf woman, who was taken in at a convent as a child after her parents died. She begins to volunteer at a homeless shelter where she meets Mikas, a petty thief and one-time carnival performer, who is also deaf. Mikas boldly expresses his desire for Antonia, and to her surprise, she finds herself responding to his advances. The main actors, Emmanuelle Laborit and Lars Otterstedt, are both deaf.
Tuesday, Sept 8
The Hammer (2010) is an inspirational true story of UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fighter Matt Hamill, the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Wrestling Championship. Deaf, defiant, determined, Matt chases a dream and becomes an inspirational force to both hearing and deaf people alike. Russell Harvard, a deaf actor, plays Hamill in the film.
Wednesday, Sept 9
Louisa (2011) is a stirring documentary by Louisa’s (hearing) sister, a young qualified filmmaker. Louisa is 23 and has grown tired of pretending to be like everybody else. For her, communication has been an unfair struggle to read lips, combined with a permanent feeling of failure. She is now ready to admit that she is deaf. She starts learning sign language, decides against a cochlear implant and moves out of her parents’ house…
Thursday, Sept 10
See what I am saying (2011) is a documentary film detailing the lives, trials and tribulations of four successful entertainers – all of whom are deaf. Percussionist Bob Hiltermann is a member of a deaf rock band, while comedian C.J. Jones produces an international theatre festival utilising sign language. Singer T.L. Forsberg is torn between the world of the deaf and the hearing, whilst working on her new CD, while Robert De Mayo’s acting success is put on hold when he faces HIV and homelessness.
Friday, Sept 11: Audience’s Choice
Hear and Now (2007) is a deeply personal memoir following a filmmaker’s (Emmy award-winning Irene Taylor Brodsky) deaf parents as they receive cochlear implants at the age of 65. The documentary follows the couple’s complex, moving journey from the silent world they knew to a new and often profoundly challenging world of sound.
OR
Silence in the House of God (2012) is a moving documentary film by Oscar-winning Alex Gibney. It details the story of four courageous deaf men, who in the first known case of public protest, set out to expose the priest who had abused them.
OR
Sound and Fury (2000) is a documentary film about two American families with young deaf children and their conflict over whether or not to give their children cochlear implants (technically complex devices requiring surgery) that may improve their ability to hear but may threaten their deaf identity.
Entrance fee is N$10. Donations are welcome.