On Sunday April 12, the day before national Auslan Day, Sign on Screen held a screening of Auslan short films for Canberra-based d/Deaf and hard of hearing children and their families. We came together on the ANU campus to watch videos of sign language stories, jokes, vocab and songs, accompanied by Kellyanne Rosalion, a Deaf ACT member who runs Canberra’s Sign and Play group. Kellyanne had the kids signing along and sharing their opinions, whether they were ten or two years old. After the screening, we did a drawing and collage workshop about what we would make if we made our own movie. The results show we have some future filmmakers on our hands!
The Sign on Screen Film Festival from 22-24 May is mostly for adults. However, we wanted our young community members to feel involved, too, to give them a chance to express their creativity and to show them the screen is a space where sign language belongs.
