About

Sign on Screen is a research collective supported by the Australian Research Council and hosted at the Australian National University. We explore the representation of sign languages on cinema, television and digital screens. A Deaf-hearing collaboration, Sign on Screen aims to celebrate Deaf perspectives and self-determination in filmmaking, to showcase the diversity of sign language cinemas and to critique the history of hearing ableism (or audism) in film. Here you can learn about our people, partners, publications and news and events, including the Sign on Screen Film Festival, which ran free to the public at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, May 22-24, 2026. You can also use our film finder tool to find your next sign language movie or series to watch, use our data to conduct your own research and learn more about the world of sign language cinemas.