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.

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.