WORLDEAF Cinema Festival earns broad media coverage

Gallaudet’s inaugural WORLDEAF Cinema Festival (WDCF), held last month on campus, was an overwhelming success by every measure, including media attention. In addition to articles in USA Today and the The Washington Post, WDCF garnered coverage in the Afro American newspaper, Fox5 TV News, WAMU Radio, AOL Black Voices, The Washington Examiner, Washingtonian Magazine, and a number of other local and national news outlets.

Gallaudet alumna and Hollywood star Shoshannah Stern, who served as a panelist and co-emcee at festival events, was interviewed on the “Fox5 Morning News” show at the start of the festival. She and alumnus Russell Harvard, who both star in the forthcoming film Hamill, were the subjects of The Washington Post‘s “Reliable Source” column, which also mentioned well-known actor and WDCF participant Howie Seago. The online version of the Post‘s piece included a full color photo of Stern and Harvard with the headline: “Young Gallaudet alums shine on the screen, and at the first deaf film festival.”

Not only did newspaper and broadcast journalists report on WDCF, but it was also a hot topic on numerous blogs and online publications, among them Zvents.com, Washington.org, TBD.com, and Deaf News Today.

“While I’m not surprised with the terrific media attention given to WDCF–it was a first-class and unique film festival, after all–I’m grateful for it,” said Dr. Jane Norman, WDCF’s director and producer. “The publicity team led by Lisa Milner of Swanson Communications did a fantastic job of spreading the word before, during, and after the festival.”