NEWS

Netflix and Sign Language: A Look at Key Projects by DMDb –  April 3, 2026   Netflix has increasingly showcased content that highlights Deaf culture, sign language, and authentic representation by Deaf actors. From real‑life stories to scripted drama, these projects offer visibility and nuance rarely seen on global streaming platforms. 🎓 Deaf U (2020) […]

No Words Needed: the new Netflix film with Sarah Toscano – plot and release date Everything about the new feature film that will mark the acting debut of the young Italian pop star. One of the young protagonists of the Italian music scene is about to make her debut in the world of acting as […]

THE GUARDIAN – Reunion review – this excellent British Sign Language thriller is an absolute revelation The performances – including that of Rose Ayling-Ellis – are outstanding, while the way it switches between spoken and signed language is utterly seamless…Read more at https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/apr/07/reunion-review-this-excellent-british-sign-language-thriller-is-an-absolute-revelation

INDIEWIRE  – Founder Emilio Insolera hopes to help platform deaf talent and create a space for community to grow. Though Hollywood is often praised as a place where everyone’s story has a shot at making it on the big screen, the reality is that.. Read more at Indiewire

CATALAN NEWS – The Catalan production ‘Sorda’, directed by Eva Libertad, has won two awards at the prestigious Berlinale International Film Festival this weekend. ‘Sorda’, or ‘Deaf’ in English, won the Audience Award in the Panorama section as well as the top prize given by the International Confederation of Art and Essay Cinemas (CICAE, as it’s known as for […]

VARIETY – In her documentary “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” the star continues to explore the at times lonesome space she has occupied since bursting on the scene in 1986: that of being a representative for deaf people, and being – Read more at https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/marlee-matlin-not-alone-anymore-review-sundance-1236284175/

VGT NIEUWS – In this video, Lore Ameloot from Max, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, shares insights about her work and her dedication to promoting accessibility in the film industry…Read More at https://visualbox.media/vgt-nieuws/beetlejuice-met-gebarentaal/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUyExaVxwxs&t=278s

Sundance Film Festival to premiere Marlee Matlin and DPN documentaries…Watch The Video

APPLE TV+ PRESS  – Academy Award nominee Nyle DiMarco produces and co-directs alongside Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim Today, Apple Original Films announced the groundbreaking new documentary film “Deaf President Now!” featuring the landmark Gallaudet University protests. The film hails from..Read more at https://www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2024/12/apple-original-films-announces-groundbreaking-new-documentary-film-deaf-president-now-featuring-the-historic-gallaudet-university-protests/ 

UKRANIAN WORLD CONGRESS – The Congress of Ukrainians of Estonia (CUE) is urging the organizers of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival to scratch the Russian film “Deaf Lovers” off its screening…Read more at https://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/ukrainians-in-estonia-want-russian-film-deaf-lovers-pulled-from-film-festival/

BELGA NEWS AGENCY – For the first time in Flemish cinema, a deaf actor stars in a lead role. Basil Wheatley, 15, portrays the character…Read More at https://www.belganewsagency.eu/historic-first-for-flemish-film-deaf-actor-takes-lead-role

MOVIE WEB – As diversity and inclusion becomes an ever-increasing topic in Hollywood, production has begun on what’s being dubbed “the world’s first deaf thriller.” Filming on Retreat is now underway, which has set Tim Evans to direct. It’s his first feature film, but Evans (who himself is hearing impaired) is no stranger to the […]

TEXAS HIGHWAYS – A new film premiering at the Austin Film Festival chronicles one man’s dream of becoming a professional Deaf Santa Claus The first time Charles Graves tried on a Santa suit, a magical feeling came over him. “I felt it flowing through me,” he says. “A tingle throughout my entire body.” With or […]

DAILY MOTH – Alex (Daily Moth): The “Echo” series from Marvel has a lot of ASL in it. The titular role is Deaf and all the major supporting actors sign ASL with varying skills. For me, it’s one of the main reasons why the show is entertaining. Read more at https://www.dailymoth.com/blog/interview-with-douglas-ridloff-and-toj-mora-on-echo

CINEUROPA – The film is the first Spanish title starring a deaf actress, Miriam Garlo; Álvaro Cervantes and Elena Irureta round off the main.. Read More at https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/464321/

PRIME VIDEO – Featuring American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. Barbie Land is a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re …Read More at https://www.primevideo.com/-/nb/detail/Barbie-with-ASLAmerican-Sign-Language/0P0AHL53OA6MG1FIQWD4P6ZGE6

Warner Bros. Pictures’ BARBIE will make its streaming debut on Max on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 at 12am PT/3am ET. BARBIE debuted in theaters on July 21 and broke records as the highest-grossing global release in the studio’s 100-year history. Championing themes of inclusion from the film, Warner Bros. and Max have announced Barbie with ASL, […]

A Reflection on Accessible Cinema for Deaf Audiences. Our Access Consultant Charlie Little reflects on the current landscape for Deaf inclusion…Read More at https://www.reclaimtheframe.org/post/standardising-accessible-cinema-less-talk-more-action

INDIEWIRE – The director and star also told IndieWire about the importance of ASL to the father-daughter relationship in the franchise’s third installment. Sarah Shachat Mar 2, 2023 9:00 am The “Creed” series, like the “Rocky” franchise before it, has built an emotional language out of the way that the camera moves, the sound echoes, […]

THE VERGE – Though Kiriko launched along with Overwatch 2 earlier this week, today, at the Twitch Con opening ceremonies, Blizzard debuted a nine-minute cinematic to introduce her properly. Overwatch animated shorts are experiences unto themselves. The game’s cinematics team is uniquely skilled, knowing exactly what levers to pull and buttons to hit for maximum […]

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – He is the first deaf male and the second deaf actor to earn an Academy Award for acting. Troy Kotsur has made history by winning the best supporting actor Oscar and becoming the first deaf male, and the second deaf actor, to earn an Academy Award for acting. Kotsur won for […]

PEOPLE – On Sunday, the 53-year-old star won best supporting actor at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards for his performance in CODA. He beat out Jamie Dornan (Belfast), Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Jared Leto (House of Gucci), J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog). “I can’t believe it that this […]

CNN — As a seemingly gruff, disarmingly loving deaf fisherman, Troy Kotsur nearly runs away with the coming-of-age film “CODA.” And with his latest nomination for his performance – this one from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards – he’s made history. Kotsur, who Wednesday morning was nominated for best supporting actor at the SAG […]

HOLLYWOOD INSIDER – Ever since I was young I have been fascinated with American Sign Language. I’ve tried teaching myself simple conversational sentences and greeting phrases and plan to fluently learn the language at some point, but until then I pick up a few signs here and there when watching films and television shows. The […]

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – From American Sign Language interpreters at the Oscars, to studio and network pledges to audition disabled actors, here’s an accounting of the industry’s current efforts…Read more at https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/hollywood-initiatives-deaf-disability-inclusion-1234991796/

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – You have ungodly amounts of money to aid in this,” the actor said upon learning of the issue from THR’s latest cover story. Read more at…https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/paul-walter-hauser-ashamed-lyrical-captions-disney-cruella-1234992736/

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – The indie film that broke all records with its $25 million Sundance sale is next-level inclusive, says its Oscar-winning star Marlee Matlin: “To have a hearing actor put on a deaf character as if it was a costume — we’ve moved beyond that point now.” Read more at…https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/coda-film-representation-1234991797/

VARIETY – Read more at https://variety.com/2021/film/global/coda-sundance-london-winner-1235034169/

DEADLINE – By Peter White Peter White Television Editor EXCLUSIVE: A Quiet Place star Millicent Simmonds is leading a television adaptation of Sara Nović’s upcoming book True Biz – a coming-of-age story of a Deaf teenage..Read more at…https://deadline.com/2021/07/millicent-simmonds-tv-adaptation-sara-novic-true-biz-circle-of-confusion-1234787333/

VARIETY – By Zoe Hewitt Innovation can take many forms and sometimes it comes not from technology but technique…Read more at: https://variety.com/2021/film/awards/feeling-through-deafblind-1234951521/

DEADLINE – By Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV EXCLUSIVE: NBC is developing Look At Me, a drama series inspired by the life of deaf model, actor and activist Nyle DiMarco. The America’s Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars winner executive produces the project, which hails from Neil Meron… Read more at…https://deadline.com/2020/12/nyle-dimarco-look-at-me-drama-nbc-based-on-life-neil-meron-1234659347/

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – In the 30 years since the Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, only small gains have been made in Hollywood as far as on- and offscreen representation in the industry goes…Read more at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/disability-representation-sees-some-onscreen-gains-as-inclusion-efforts-grow-1305945/

PAGE SIX - Marlee Matlin is using her time at home for spring cleaning. The “West Wing” actress, 54, revealed that she can still fit into her 1987 Oscars dress on Sunday night. “I’m losing my mind but... Read More at Marlee Matlin tries on 33-year-old Oscars dress during quarantine    

THE BIG ISSUE Aaron Paul kicked off the streaming age with Breaking Bad. In the isolation age it might be streaming that gets us through – so it’s lucky he’s back with a thriller we can watch at home March 27, 2020 By Steven MacKenzie @stevenmackenzie While there’s a constant supply of bad news breaking, […]

CNBC PUBLISHED THU, MAR 12 202011:47 AM EDT Sarah Whitten@SARAHWHIT10 “A Quiet Place Part II” is the latest Hollywood film to push its global box office release amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that people have said our movie is one… Read More at: ‘A Quiet Place […]

THE MARY SUE – By Michele KirichanskayaMar 23rd, 2020, 11:14 am With Disney+’s Hawkeye series set to debut in Fall 2021, there are still several issues to address before the show premieres—especially those considering its main character, Clint Barton, a canonically deaf character in Marvel…Read more at: Disney+’s Hawkeye Needs Deaf Representation   Disney+’s Hawkeye Needs […]

COMIC BOOK – By Cameron Bonomolo – February 24, 2020 02:43 pm EST Lauren Ridloff is excited by the parallels between Connie, the first Deaf survivor featured on zombie drama The Walking Dead, and the super-powered Makkari, one of the newest superheroes joining the Marvel…Read more at The Walking Dead’s Lauren Ridloff Compares Connie to […]

WASHINGTON POST November 14, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. GMT+1 By Peter Marks  NEW YORK — Russell Harvard has been waiting not so patiently for this his entire career. And now, at long last, for a deaf actor channeled inexorably into deaf roles, the moment has arrived: Playing a hearing character. Harvard is part of the (mostly) […]

UNILAD – BY : Lucy Connolly ON : 06 NOV 2019 15:40 From Ghostbusters to Zombieland, Scrooged to Lost in Translation, the comedian’s everlasting wit and humour has landed him all sorts of legendary roles. Yes, I am ignoring Garfield and Garfield 2… Perhaps Bill Murray’s best performance… Read more at: https://www.unilad.co.uk/film-and-tv/bill-murray-hired-a-profoundly-deaf-assistant-to-stop-people-contacting-him/

JUST JARED JR Shaylee Mansfield is guest starring on Bunk’d tonight (March 13)!! The young, deaf actress will play Willow, a young camper whom Gwen…Read more at: http://www.justjaredjr.com/2020/03/13/deaf-actress-shaylee-mansfield-shares-why-her-bunkd-role-is-important-for-deaf-representation/

THRIVE GLOBAL – I believe writing plays and films are one of the most effective ways to share… Read more at: https://thriveglobal.com/stories/unstoppable-deaf-actress-natasha-ofili-is-inspiring-the-world-about-what-can-be-accomplished-with-sheer-determination/

Jerell Rushin  Oshkosh NorthwesternPublished 11:01 AM EDT Oct 31, 2019 OSHKOSH – Oshkosh held its first motion picture premiere in over 50 years Monday night when “The Silent Natural,” a film about deaf Oshkosh baseball player William “Dummy” Hoy, debuted at The Grand Oshkosh. Hoy is credited by some…. Read more at: https://eu.thenorthwestern.com/story/sports/2019/10/29/william-hoy-film-the-silent-natural-premieres-grand-oshkosh/2492126001/

COMING SOON – Emilio Insolera (Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes) has joined the much-hyped spy thriller 355 from star/producer Jessica Chastain…Read more at: https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1101359-actor-emilio-insolera-joins-jessica-chastains-355#kE3RvFPTL00dB8ap.99

VARIETY – FILM NEWS Deaf actor Emilio Insolera has joined the Simon Kinberg thriller “355” alongside Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz… Read more at: https://variety.com/2019/film/news/documentary-gay-chorus-deep-south-awards-season-release-1203338079/

THE OPRAH MAGAZINE By Evan Ross Katz Aug 22, 2019 “I have to fight for my community. I have to do this work.” When Nyle DiMarco learned that Henry Zaga, a hearing actor, was cast in CBS ALL Access’s new series The Stand as Nick Andros, who is described as a “deaf-mute” in the Stephen […]

BROADWAY BUZZ Jul 22, 2019 by Andy Lefkowitz Lauren Ridloff, a 2018 Tony nominee for her Broadway debut in Children of a Lesser God, will break ground on the big screen next year taking on the role of Makkari, Marvel’s… Read more at: https://www.broadway.com/buzz/196451/lauren-ridloff-cast-as-marvels-first-deaf-superhero/

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Kristen LopezContributorHollywood & Entertainment I write about entertainment, focusing on disabled representation. Emily Blunt is in talks to play a deaf and blind woman, continuing the problems of disabled representation. (Photo by Erica Price/WireImage)GETTY In the disabled community there’s a term: “cripping up.” It’s in reference to when an able-bodied person puts on the role of […]

FORWARD – March 21, 2019 By Jenny Singer Yes, Chella Man’s full identity is complicated — he even says so himself. “There is an extreme lack of representation for young, Deaf, queer, Jewish, Asian, transgender artists — sorry, that is a mouthful!” he told Teen Vogue in October 2018. “I decided to be my own representation.” And so he has. The […]

THE HEKTOEN INTERNATIONAL – Sign Gene: the first deaf superhero film By Paul Dakin Published March 19th, 2019 If the superhero genre really is “about transformation, about identity, about difference,” then the description can readily be applied to Sign Gene, the world’s first deaf superhero film. Written and directed by Emilio Insolera, who was born […]

He’ll play Jericho, who is able to possess other people’s bodies through eye contact.BY MATHEW RODRIGUEZMARCH 19 2019 3:15 PM EDT32.2K SHARES  Trans YouTube star, artist, and model Chella Man is about to add “actor” to his resume. The 20-year-old genderqueer artist has been case in the role of Joseph Wilson, or Jericho, in the upcoming […]

By Kyra Lisse || Contributing Writer  The scene opens to an adolescent boy, his face framed with… Read more at: The College Reporter http://www.the-college-reporter.com/2019/02/24/contributing-writer-reviews-the-sign-for-love-film-screening-a-must-see/

FROM MASHABLE – ‘Wonder’ is first live-action U.S. film to get American Sign Language interpretation Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco provides ASL interpretation for the entire movie. For years, film studios have made movies accessible to viewers with visual or hearing disabilities through audio tracks and closed captioning. Now, for the first time, U.S. audiences will […]

Lauren Ridloff was initially a fan of “The Walking Dead” before joining the cast in season 9. She adored the AMC series so much that her husband would Facetime the television screen to her so that she could watch while feeding their newborn in another room. Ridloff, a former kindergarten teacher, began acting professionally in […]

By MATTHEW DESSEMJAN 19, 201911:35 PM In an interview with the Press Association, The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil said she turned down a recent offer to portray a deaf woman in hopes that a deaf actress would be cast in her place. Jamil made her comments in the wake of a conversation about disability representation sparked by Bryan Cranston’s role […]

By Kris Kosaka Emilio Insolera’s “Sign Gene” gave the world its first deaf superheroes. But after writing, directing, producing and starring in the film himself, you might argue that Insolera is the one with the superpowers… Read more at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/11/13/films/deaf-filmmaker-emilio-insolera-flexes-superpowers-sign-gene/#.XGqlMi2ZPRY 

By Neil Genzlinger Nov. 1, 2018 Bernard Bragg, a trailblazer for deaf performers who in 1967 became a founder of the National Theater of the Deaf in Connecticut, died on Oct. 29 in Los Angeles. He was 90. The actress Marlee Matlin, a longtime friend, confirmed his death. Mr. Bragg, who was born deaf to deaf […]

INDIEWIRE – Model and activist Nyle DiMarco took to social media to criticize the deaf storyline in Netflix’s latest teen rom-com Sierra Burgess Is a Loser,” the new Netflix rom-com starring “Stranger Things” breakout Shannon Purser and Noah Centineo, is facing backlash over a storyline featuring the titular character pretending to be deaf…Read more at […]

A recent Twitter storm spiraled as the Deaf community responded to an article published by  The Hollywood Reporter (THR) highlighting John Leonetti’s new film; “The Silence”, which premieres in December. The film features a hearing actor playing a Deaf role, which was subject to criticism from Deaf people including Deaf actress Marlee Matlin and Deaf model Nyle […]

Sara Novic is a Deaf writer and assistant professor of creative writing at Stockton University. Her first novel, “Girl at War,” was released by Random House in 2015. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. The Deaf community uses a capital “D” to differentiate between people who identify with Deaf culture and identity, […]

By MICHAEL RECHTSHAFFEN One wouldn’t normally expect to find such dazzling sound design in a production conceived and directed by a deaf filmmaker, but that’s just one of the unexpected surprises surrounding Emilio Insolera’s “Sign Gene.” Energetically blending elements of “X-Men,” “The Da Vinci Code,” 007 and martial arts wuxia while giving shout-outs to such […]

PACIFIC STANDARD Emilio Insolera’s new film uses the underground history of sign language as the premise for a superhero thriller. COBY MCDONALD APR 10, 2018 When Emilio Insolera was…Read more at WHEN SIGN LANGUAGE IS A SUPERPOWER

Screenwriters Bryan Woods and Scott Beck recall how the actor-director fought to make Millicent Simmonds his onscreen daughter, a move that “brought an extra depth to the film.” The silent world of A Quiet Place was made more authentic thanks to a smart casting choice by actor-director John Krasinski. Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck) delivers a powerful performance as part […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuU-iNaCWjk

After months of depressing news in the entertainment industry, this year’s Oscars were a predictably subdued affair. But, amid a crowd desperate for an uplift, one star cut through the gloom: six-year-old Maisie Sly, a deaf girl from Swindon who was at the centre of the ceremony’s most touching moment. This came when Rachel Shenton, the British actress […]

By Mike Hale Feb. 13, 2018 It isn’t easy to stand out these days in the ranks of half-hour personal dramedies, where shows like “Better Things,” “Insecure” and “Atlanta”are among the best and most challenging series on television. “This Close,” streaming on Sundance Now beginning Wednesday, isn’t at those shows’ level — it’s more conventional, with familiar relationship and family situations, […]

Jameela Jamil turned down the role of a deaf woman as it “wouldn’t be appropriate”.The Good Place star, who was born partially deaf, said that she refused the recent job offer because she can now hear, and insisted that the part should instead be given to “a brilliant deaf woman”.“I said it wouldn’t be appropriate […]

The movie, which won Best Picture, tells “disabled people [that they] should go and be with their kind,” one critic said. Warning: This article contains spoilers for “The Shape of Water.” Elsa Sjunneson-Henry was psyched when she heard about Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water.” As a speculative fiction author and editor who is legally blind […]

CHCH By Kyle Miller  – December 22, 2017, 10:01 am Downsizing is a comedic drama directed and co-written by Alexander Payne (Nebraska). The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and stars Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Jason Sudeikis, and Kristen Wiig. Chau earned a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance. DOWNSIZING IMAGINES […]

The film’s casting director and grown-up star, Julianne Moore, on the remarkable debut of Millicent Simmond by Lisa Liebman OCTOBER 20, 2017 10:00 AM At the heart of Todd Haynes’s sophisticated new family film, Wonderstruck, is the innocent curiosity of two intrepid 12-year-old deaf runaways. Based on the novel by Brian Selznick, Haynes’s visually arresting movie, which opens on Friday, interweaves the […]

Edgar Wright had a very specific type of actor in mind when he penned the part of Joseph, the disabled foster father to Ansel Elgort’s getaway driver in the summer smash Baby Driver. “I wrote the character being 85, African American, and deaf,” Wright told Yahoo Movies. So the filmmaker tasked his casting director, Francine Maisler […]

Under mounting pressure from a wide variety of demographics who feel underrepresented in film and television, the entertainment industry is finally beginning to show signs of diversity. It is important to recognize that this gradual movement toward a multicultural media is only the result of long and tiresome grassroots efforts. The fight for representation… Read […]

THE WASHINGTON POST The current deaf staging of “Spring Awakening” on Broadway demonstrates that non-hearing actors are just as capable as the hearing. By Sandra Mae FrankSandra Mae Frank is an actress currently starring in “Spring Awakening” on Broadway.December 8, 2015 As a deaf actor, I’m always getting the same questions: What it is like to […]

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 4:10 PM PDT 5/11/2015 by Mike Barnes   She guest-starred on a 1968 episode of the CBS crime drama ‘Mannix’ and helped pave the way for other hearing-impaired actors. Audree Norton, who many consider the first deaf actress to appear in a featured role on an American network TV series, has died. She was […]

SIGN LANGUAGE NYC – by Lydia Callis Over the past couple weeks, the #DeafT  [Talent]  movement spread like wildfire across social media. Using this hashtag, members of the Deaf community publicly spoke out against the cultural appropriation…Read more at: https://www.signlanguagenyc.com/category/deaf-actors/ Note: The title, hastag and link were originally published by the author/publication The title has […]

NEW YORK TIMES Phyllis Frelich, the actress who made a groundbreaking and Tony-winning Broadway star turn in 1980 in “Children of a Lesser…Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/15/arts/phyllis-frelich-deaf-activist-and-actress-dies-at-70.html

HUFFPOST – By Lydia Callis, Contributor Think about the last five movies you saw. Were there any deaf individuals in them? When was… Read more at https://www.huffpost.com/entry/deaf-culture-in-hollywood_b_5056676?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEzvhdrTTOvDAOxtKx4iA0WjHFtUBHA_oyM2x0zYBJhVxgCc9C-agdfn6Q6aJ-w06-FmwWrSgTjPhJNlteJl4GFwBvZ2HaG7LL-Xmh9ynmnaoP3-mmtCJaCYeIxtYtsMxGHS9NFfrtFjTHOk_BCykveV84wWZQpWMGT7B29I76bK

A deaf Jewish teen from Queens finds her voice as a young American Sign Language poet in “Deaf Jam.”…Read more at: https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/deaf-jam-1117944885/