Impact Days Catalogue
fifdh
By Garry Keane

This is a Quiet Love

This is a Quiet Love
Impact days 2023 Movie
IMPACT DAYS

Four Deaf couples sign the stories of how they fell in love. Together these cinematic love letters weave a tapestry of Deaf experience over a 70-year period, while an immersive soundscape challenges the viewer’s perception of sound. A mixed religion Deaf couple whose love story survived decades of prejudice and their families’ determination to keep them apart; a Deaf boxer and his hearing partner face an impossible decision; a Deaf LGBT couple who fell in love in a country where same sex marriage was illegal and a hearing man and Deaf woman who found love against the odds. Produced by a mixed Deaf & hearing team, this mosaic of Deaf experience by Sundance and Oscar shortlisted director, Garry Keane, offers audiences a familiar starting point – love – to dive into themes of discrimination, access, language deprivation and conflict as experienced by a Deaf cast.

Section : Impact Days
Country : Ireland, United Kingdom
Original languages : Sign Language, English
Director
Garry Keane (Ireland)
Producers
Anne Heffernan (Ireland)
Sean Herlihy (Ireland)
Curious North Productions Ltd.
Completion
September 2024
Impact Statement
This is a Quiet Love aims to transform misconceptions about the Deaf community by authentically representing their experiences, while supporting training and employment for Deaf filmmakers. Allowing audiences a rare window into this largely hidden community can foster empathy, understanding and generate critical discussion around the message that societal barriers and attitudes create more challenges for Deaf people than their physical deafness. Deaf communities, even in many first world countries, have not had their sign languages officially recognised, meaning there is no legal requirement to ensure access to education, healthcare, the legal system or employment in sign language. This inequality is exacerbated by the lack of representation of Deaf people in the media, while Deaf filmmakers continue to be excluded from our industry.
We aim to foster empathy and greater understanding about the experiences and unique challenges facing the Deaf community worldwide, while creating training and employment opportunities for Deaf filmmakers in Ireland.
Impact Goals
  1. To tackle the persistent inequality and barriers to education, employment, healthcare and social spaces experienced by the Deaf community around the world by creating stronger connections between the Deaf community and wider society.
  2. Push for the recognition of sign language as an official language, through the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
  3. Enable authentic representation of Deaf people in the media and create more opportunities for Deaf filmmakers in our industry.
  4. Champion the preservation of Deaf history and culture, which is currently under threat of being erased.
Impact Strategy
  • Making a film that authentically represents the Deaf experience and fosters empathy and understanding.
  • Raising awareness about sign language by encouraging audiences to learn phrases in their local sign language.
  • Creating meaningful dialogue between Deaf people and the wider public through post-screening ‘one to one’ sessions via a sign language interpreter.
  • Working with Human Rights and Deaf organisations to lobby for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to ensure access to public services, education and employment for all Deaf people.
  • Lobbying our industry to ensure access for Deaf filmmakers and creating a pilot training scheme.
  • Creating an archive of Deaf love stories by inviting Deaf couples to share their stories on dedicated social media platforms using the #QuietLove.
Contact
Primary contact
Anne Heffernan (Ireland): anneheffernantv@gmail.com

Organisations
Deaf Media Professionals – UK
Irish Deaf Society
Reach Deaf Services
Broadcasters
TG4 – Ireland

Funders and agencies
Screen Ireland
Screen Skills Ireland

Others
Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin – University

Organisations
Deaf Media Professionals – UK
Irish Deaf Society
Reach Deaf Services
Broadcasters
TG4 – Ireland

Funders and agencies
Screen Ireland
Screen Skills Ireland

Others
Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin – University