This story of friendship and community follows three young protagonists with varying perceptions of deaf identity.
Hong Kong director Adam Wong’s film explores various forms of deaf identity through the stories of three people. Wolf, who grew up in a deaf family, sees the sign language and deaf culture as integral parts of his life. Alan, who promotes the use of cochlear implants, still chooses to maintain his connection with sign language, building a complex hybrid identity. Sophie lives in constant tension created by the need for oral communication and her inner discomfort about her choices. Their stories reflect the great diversity of paths to forming an identity in the deaf community.
Garage has been working closely with the deaf and hard-of-hearing community for ten years, and this screening during International Week of the Deaf is another invitation to dialogue on different language choices and an exploration of the diverse communication and identities within deaf culture.
The screening will be followed by a discussion with screenwriter and playwright Polina Sineva, deaf actor and director Aleksey Znamensky, and Evangelina Livanova—a cochlear implant wearer and assistant director who works with Aleksandr Adabashyan and Anna Chernakova. The discussion will be moderated by Lyuda Luchkova, a CODA (hearing child of deaf adults), head of the Department of Education and Inclusive Projects at Garage.
The film will be screened in Cantonese and Hong Kong Sign Language with Russian subtitles.
The screening will be accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors.
The Way We Talk
Director: Adam Wong
Hong Kong, 2024. 132 min.
16+