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The first-ever Deaf Way Film Festival (DWFF) brought the house down! From October 16-19, Gallaudet welcomed hundreds of cinephiles to celebrate deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled, and hard of hearing filmmakers.

DWFF was hosted by Gallaudet’s Office of Arts, Culture, and Experience (ACE). In addition to feature films and short films, the festival included workshops, panels, and social activities for industry professionals.

The full house and rapturous reception for DWFF is more proof that Deaf filmmaking is a growing field. We can’t wait to see what’s next!

You can relive the excitement of Deaf Way Film Festival 2025 below. Scroll all the way to the bottom for news about Deaf Way 2027!

Opening Night

A photo of four people posing in front of an orange backdrop with the Deaf Way logo. They are all holding bags that say "Deaf Way Film Festival 2025".
A photo of three people chatting in ASL around an outdoor cocktail table. The light indicates a shady area on a sunny day. The person on the left is signing, and the other two are looking. More people are out of focus in the background.
A photo of two people posing in front of an orange backdrop that says "Film Festival / October 16-19 / Gallaudet University" with the Deaf Way logo. They are holding black bags that say "Deaf Way Film Festival 2025".
A photo of eleven people in a single row posing for the camera with their arms around each other. All but one wear a yellow t-shirt with black text: "QQ / Ask me". The person without a t-shirt is wearing a black jumpsuit.
A photo of two people taking a selfie in front of an orange backdrop with the Deaf Way logo. The person on the left is holding the phone and making a playful face of cheer. The person on the right is smiling warmly toward the phone.
A photo of chalk art on a sidewalk. It is a colorful representation of a building with a movie reel around it. On the top and bottom it says "Deaf Way Film Festival / Gallaudet University".
A photo of three framed posters. On the left is a poster with 80s-style branding that says "The Deaf Way". In the middle is a poster with early-internet branding that says "Gallaudet University / Deaf Way II / 2002". On the right is a colorful poster with more modern branding that says "Deaf Way Film Festival / Gallaudet University / October 16-19, 2025".
A close-up photo of a black bag with yellow and pink text: "Deaf Way Film Festival 2025". The bag is around an unseen person's shoulder.
A photo looking up at a projected screen with a colorful orange background. The screen has the Deaf Way logo and text: "Film Festival / October 16-19 / Gallaudet University".
A photo of a person under dusky sunlight, standing in front of a building and leaning on a column. The column is decorated in colorful orange and purple. A backdrop in the background is also orange, and says "Film Festival / October 16-19 / Gallaudet University" with the Deaf Way logo. The person is smiling casually. They wear a long coat and striped white-and-pink shirt.
A photo of a person, center right, sitting onstage and gesturing to an unseen crowd to the right. They have long dark hair. They wear glasses and a dark coat. Their expression is engaging. On the left, obscured and out of focus, are two people. One is an interpreter holding up a microphone and watching the person on the right.
A photo of two people onstage in front of a projected screen that has the Deaf Way logo and says "Film Festival / October 16-19, 2025 / Gallaudet University". The person on the left is signing to the unseen crowd to the right. The person on the right is smiling at the person on the left.
A photo of a large crowd in a theater. Many are cheering a stage offscreen to the left.
A photo of three seated people onstage. The person on the left is holding a microphone and speaking. They wear a long patterned dress. The person in the middle is sitting and smiling toward the unseen crowd. The person person on the right is looking at the speaking person and smiling. In the background is a projected screen with an obscured Deaf Way Film Festival logo.
A photo of a seated audience. The person in focus is on the right, looking attentively to the unseen stage to the left, along with the out-of-focus observers behind.

Deaf Way Film Festival was welcomed by picturesque weather and enthusiastic guests. The theater was packed to watch Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, directed by Gallaudet alumni Shoshannah Stern, ’05.

Stern joined the festivities for a conversation with DWFF Programming Director Andrea Passifiume. Before DWFF, Stern talked to Gallaudet about Not Alone Anymore, her creative practices, and school memories.

Pocket Doc Workshop

A photo of a person signing onstage to an unseen audience to the right. They are bald, with a dark brown beard. They wear a blue button-up shirt and slacked. Behind them is a projected presentation. Obscured text says "Pocket Cinema / [obscured] Language and our Culture with a Mobile Phone".
A close-up photo of a person wearing a bright red shirt and smiling to the right. They have dark hair pulled behind their head. The background is dark.
A photo of two people onstage looking to the right at an offscreen audience. They have a presentation behind them to the left. The person on the left appears to be an interpreter. The person on the right is leaning forward playfully.
A photo of a seated audience in a theater. In focus are three people in the middle watching the unseen stage to the right thoughtfully.
A photo from behind a crowd of a person signing onstage. They are bald, with a dark brown beard. They wear a blue button-up shirt and slacked. Behind them is a projected presentation. Text at the top says "Resources" and the screen has various screenshots of web resources.

Filmmaker Zilvinas Paludnevicius presented a hands-on workshop that showed attendees how to create short-form documentaries using their smartphones. He covered key techniques in visual storytelling, with a focus on capturing authentic Deaf experiences.

Film Festival Alliance Panel

A photo of seven people onstage, looking down at an unseen camera to the bottom right. They are wearing various outfits of playful formal attire. Behind them, a screen has obscured words that include "Festival Alliance" and the Deaf Way logo.
A photo of seven people onstage, sitting in folding chairs. The six on the left are looking towards the person on the far right, signing to a crowd offscreen. Behind them is a projected screen with photos of the six panelists on the right.
A photo of a seated person in red onstage, looking toward panelists who are mostly offscreen to the right, except for one on the far right of the image. The person in red has a bright red formal shirt, and dark hair in a bun behind their head. They are leaning forward attentively and smiling. An interpreter is visible behind them, watching.
A photo of a panelist signing onstage, looking at a moderator out of focus in the left foreground The panelist has brown and blonde hair, a white sleeveless top, and brown pants. on the right is another panelist, watching.
A photo of seven people onstage, sitting in folding chairs. On the right, a moderator in red addresses the panelist third from right. The other panelists look on.

DWFF convened organizers from deaf film festivals around the globe to discuss the logistics and cultural considerations behind their successful events. The panelists explored the potential for an international collaboration between Deaf film festivals worldwide.

Storytelling and Representation in Film Panel

A photo of six people on a stage posing for the camera. They represent various identities and have different attire. A projected screen in the background has obscured text and a QR code.
A photo of six panelists seated onstage. The five on the right are looking at the moderator on the left, who is signing a question.
A photo of six panelists seated onstage. The moderator on the left and the panelist fifth from left are signing. In the back is a projected screen with text: How have you seen the film industry evolve over the years, especially in terms of technology and storytelling?".
A photo of five seated panelists onstage. The panelist fourth from left is signing to an unseen audience to the right. The other panelists look on.
A photo of six people on a stage posing for the camera. They represent various identities and have different attire. A projected screen in the background has obscured text and a QR code.

“Through Our Stories: Storytelling and Representation in Film” brought together panelists who have overcome barriers during their journeys in the film industry. They discussed the insights that those challenges have given them, and how others in the community can learn from their experience.

Awards Ceremony

A photo of two award presenters handwaving on a stage. The person on the left is holding a circular golden award that says "Deaf Way". They have dark blonde hair and wear a feathery black dress. The person on the right has dark wavy hair, with a black top and grey bottoms.
A photo of two seated people smiling for the camera and holding up circular awards that say "Deaf Way". The person on the left has brown hair and a thick beard, with glasses and a blue button-up shirt. The person on the right has tousled brown hair, with glasses and a dark jacket. More people are in the background around a table.
A photo of two award presenters on a stage. The person on the right is holding a circular golden award that says "Deaf Way". They wear a striking blue dress and smile at the person on the left. The person on the left is tall, with a blue shirt and black pants. They are signing something towards the award.
A photo of two award presenters on a stage with an interpreter. The person on the left is holding a circular golden award that says "Deaf Way". They wear a black dress and look at an unseen audience to the left. The person in the middle holds a microphone. They have glasses and a yellow top. The interpreter on the right is signing.
A photo of three identical circular golden awards on a table with a blue tablecloth. The awards have cutout of a logo that says "Deaf Way".
A photo of a person onstage holding a colorful bouquet and smiling brightly to somebody offscreen to the right. They have short hair and glasses. They wear a dark jacket and bright shirt.
A photo of a person handwaving on a stage with a black background. They have curly gray hair in a big bun behind their head, glasses, and a patterned shirt with sunflowers.
A photo of a performer looking to a crowd behind the camera, with some heads out of focus in the foreground. They are raising their arms in welcome. They have dark wavy hair and glasses. They wear gray pantsuit and a purple top.
A photo of a performer looking to an unseen crowd behind the camera. They have a loving look and their left arm is up in performance. They wear a patterned head wrap and light vest in black and white over a black shirt.
A photo of a performer looking to an unseen crowd to the left. They have a playful look and reach out with their left arm. They are bald, with white hair around the sides and a short beard. They wear a dark jacket and shirt.
A photo of a crowd in a ballroom raising their arms and handwaving an unseen stage to the right behind the camera. In the foreground, out of focus, most are seated. In the background, many are standing. Prominent in the center is a taller individual with their arms outstretched.
A photo of two smiling and cheering for a camera offscreen to the left. Behind them is an orange screen that says "October 16-19, Gallaudet" and has Deaf Way logos. The person on the left has a dark hair and a red jacket. The person on the right has long, dark wavy hair and a blue dress.
A photo of a seated crowd in a ballroom raising their arms and handwaving an unseen stage to the right.
A photo from behind of a person's back, focusing on their yellow t-shirt. The shirt has a black and pink camera illustration with the Deaf Way logo.
A photo of several people in a huddle raising their arms and cheering. Behind them is an orange screen that says "Film Festival / October 16-19, Gallaudet University".

DWFF culminated with a celebration! The awards ceremony was coordinated by Michelle Banks, E-’90, Executive Director of DC nonprofit Visionaries of the Creative Arts (VOCA). Stella Marie Antonio acted as the emcee, and performers included Ronnie Bradley, the Gallaudet Dance Company, and Patrick Graybill, ’63.

Audience Award Winners

  • Narrative Short: Idle Hands, directed by Douglas Ridloff, ’99
  • Narrative Feature: The Way We Talk, directed by Adam Wong
  • Documentary Short: A Love Letter to the Light, directed by MJ Kiego
  • Narrative Feature: Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie, directed by Irene Taylor

DWFF Screening Committee Award Winners

  • Overall Short: Idle Hands, directed by Douglas Ridloff
  • Overall Feature: Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie, directed by Irene Taylor

Returning in 2027

Deaf Way is now a biennial festival, returning with new themes every two years. Join us in 2027 for a celebration of Sign Language Literature!

To stay up to date on all things Deaf Way, visit the Deaf Way webpage or follow Deaf Way Festival on Instagram.

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