Apple Films has landed the feature doc Deaf President Now! from Deaf actor, filmmaker, and advocate Nyle DiMarco and Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim.
The feature tells the story of the 1988 protests at Gallaudet University, the storied university for Deaf or Hard of Hearing students, that led to the installment of the school’s first Deaf president, Dr. I. King Jordan.
The doc features exclusive interviews with Jordan, as well as the “Gallaudet Four” — Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok, who took leadership positions during the protests. Deaf President Now! also incorporates an experimental narrative approach — called “Deaf Point Of View” — using impressionistic visual photography and intricate sound design that is meant to thrust the audience into the Deaf experience.
“For far too long, the disabilities stories that have shaped the United States have been conspicuously absent from the history we tell,” said DiMarco. “This film not only preserves a pivotal moment in civil rights history but also celebrates the resilience of my Deaf community, whose triumphs deserve to be recognized, celebrated and remembered.”
Apple previously released the film CODA, which landed the best picture Oscar becoming the first to do so with a predominantly Deaf cast.
Producers ensured that Deaf creatives and consultants were brought on to the production to ensure that all aspects of the film were authentic to the Deaf experience, with over 40 Deaf or Hard of Hearing subjects, cast, and crew involved in Deaf President Now!.
Filmmaker Wayne Betts Jr. — who pioneered the concept of the Deaf Lens, or how films can be produced from a Deaf perspective — assisted with everything from acting to camera movements. Jonaz McMillan and Lindsey Dryden from FWD-Doc, the documentary-focused organization championing and elevating the work of disabled filmmakers, consulted on the film and assisted with inclusive hiring and to help ensure that accessibility needs were met. For his part, DiMarco worked to ensure that the film’s American Sign Language, which is the predominant language in the doc, is portrayed and interpreted accurately.
“It was shocking to me that most people, including myself, had never heard of this moment in Deaf history,” added Guggenheim. “So, Nyle and I felt it was so important to work with all of our Deaf and hearing collaborators to do justice to this important story.”
DiMarco and Guggenheim co-directed the feature and produced the project from Concordia Studio. Michael Harte also produced, along with Jonathan King and Amanda Rohlke. Concordia and Apple previously worked together on the Michael J. Fox doc, Still, and titles Girls State and Boys State.
