Through Deaf Eyes
Florentine Films/Hott Productions Inc. and WETA – Washington, D.C.
(For press release, see below Schedule of Programs)
Schedule of Programs
January 20, 2007
American Library Event, Seattle Public Library. WETA to attend and show open-captioned select scenes from the film.
March 2, 2007
Missouri School for the Deaf and William Woods University
(12:45)
March 4, 2007
Nashville Public Library
March 5, 2007
Tucson Deaf Community Center – University of Arizona
March 13, 2007
Arlington Public Library
March 13, 2007
Arlington Central Library, Arlington, Virginia. WETA to attend and show clips.
March 13, 2007
7:00 p.m. at the University of Virginia (Mcleod Hall Auditorium 40-minute preview)
March 14, 2007
Malcolm X. Public Library, San Diego, at 6:00 PM, with Carol Padden and Tom Humphries.
March 16, 2007
Philadelphia School for the Deaf event at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Central Branch with Larry Hott of Florentine and Harry Lang of NTID.
March 21, 2007
NTID/RIT Rochester, 9 pm - 11 pm
Post film rap discussion
Student Development Center (SDC) 1300
Dr. Harry Lang will be available to discuss his role as historical advisor to the film.
April 12, 2007
Gallaudet "150 Years on Kendall Green: Celebrating Deaf History
and Gallaudet" conference. The full film will be shown that night after
dinner, the next morning, April 13 there will be a panel discussion
including Larry, Glenn Anderson, Sara Robinson (she's working on her Ph.D at Ohio state in Deaf women's history - used to work in the Archives), and
Carolyn McCaskill. Gene Mirus will moderate.
Date unknown
Merv and Carol Garretson are working to bring the full film to Deaf Seniors of America in Orlando from 3:00-5:00.
HISTORY THROUGH DEAF EYES TO PREMIERE ON PBS
MARCH 21, 2007
Check local listings.
Contact: Diane Garey
diane@florentinefilms.org
History Through Deaf Eyes is a two-hour PBS documentary that explores almost 200 years of American history: the experience of the Deaf community in the United States from 1814 to the present. The program aligns the broad sweep of U.S. history with the experiences of deaf people, showing how major social, economic, medical, and technological shifts in America have changed deaf lives. It is propelled by the stories of people, both eminent and ordinary, and conveys a broad range of perspectives on what it means to be deaf.
In recent years, many have come to see the Deaf community as an ethnic group – a tiny minority in a hearing world. Like many minorities, it has had little voice; its history is under-represented in literature, and outside portrayals have presented a misleading picture. But being deaf is far from being the uniform (and tragic) experience that most hearing people imagine.
For many, the lack of hearing is not the essence of deafness at all: what is central is being a part of a culture. The film tells the surprising story of a people who were misunderstood and repressed -- but joined together, grew in strength, and won great victories at last. The film is not so much a celebration, but rather an exploration of a history that includes culture, language, technology, politics and some very loud rock and roll.
The film was produced and directed by Lawrence Hott and edited by Diane Garey, of Florentine Films/ Hott Productions, Inc. Six filmmakers, all deaf, produced short films that are incorporated into the production: Wayne Betts, Rene Visco, Tracey Salaway, Kimby Caplan, Arthur Luhn, and Adrean Mangiardi.
The film is a production of WETA Washington, D.C., and Florentine Films/Hott Productions in association with Gallaudet University. It was written by Ken Chowder, with cinematography by Allen Moore, Michael Chin, Stephen McCarthy and John Baynard, and music by Judy Hyman and Jeff Claus. Harry Lang, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, served as the program senior advisor.
The film was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, The Annenberg Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and Sign Language Associates. It will premiere on PBS on March 21, 2007 at 9:00 PM. Check local listings.