Sign on Screen is a collaboration between Deaf and hearing researchers at the Australian National University, Deaf filmmakers, the National Film and Sound Archive and Deaf Connect. Our team and partners include:
Gemma King
Gemma King is the Sign on Screen project lead, a DECRA Fellow, a Senior Lecturer in French at the ANU and a student of Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Her research explores representations of multilingualism and minority languages on screen. She is author of the books Decentring France: Multilingualism and Power in Contemporary French Cinema (2017) and Jacques Audiard (2021), and she is currently writing Sign on Screen, the first book about global sign language cinemas.
Sofya Gollan
Sofya Gollan is a filmmaker, actor and writer with over 20 years of experience in the Australian film industry. Her films include Gimpsey (2016), Imagined Touch (with Jodee Mundy, 2022) and Threshold (2023) screening at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia and international galleries. She is a PhD candidate at the ANU working on a creative practice doctorate about Deaf-led filmmaking, which asks “in whose hands” sign language cinema belongs.
CHARLOTTE YOUNG
Charlotte Young is a disability advocate and double degree student in Politics, Philosophy, Economics/Arts at the ANU and has a hearing loss. She is currently an advisor for Women with Disabilities Australia, has represented Australian youth at the United Nations and led the National Youth Disability Summit for four years. Charlotte was recognised as a nominee for Young Australian of the Year 2024. She is excited to be contributing to the Sign on Screen project as a research assistant.
Ramas McRae
Ramas McRae is currently completing his PhD in the area of deafness, language acquisition and mental health. He is a part time lecturer and tutor and a freelance consultant, specialising in interpreting, translating and training in deaf awareness and deaf culture as well as deaf arts, particularly film production. He has fluency in nine languages including seven sign languages, is certified as an International Sign interpreter, Auslan interpreter and translator and provides counsel and interpreting (Auslan<>other sign languages and Auslan<>written English) on the Sign on Screen project.
Sam Martin
Sam Martin is a partner writer-filmmaker on Sign on Screen and a Digital Project Coordinator at Deaf Connect. At Deaf Connect, he is directing a 6-part mini docuseries. He has also directed a range of short documentaries including Deafying Gravity (2021).
Jared Flitcroft
Jared Flitcroft is a partner filmmaker and producer on the project based in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The director of New Zealand Sign Language-films such as Tama (2017), TV series The Kids of Kōrero Lane (2022) and Being Turi (2024), his work examines the intersection of Māori and Deaf identities in the Aotearoa context.
Deaf Connect
Deaf Connect is the largest, whole-of-life service provider and social impact organisation for Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing Australians. Deaf Connect is a founding partner on the Sign on Screen Project and is proud to be providing various supports for the project including but not limited to local, national and international connections and interpreting services throughout the 2026 Sign on Screen Film Festival. This support aligns with Deaf Connect’s commitment to stand with the Deaf community to build capacity and influence social change while paying respect to history, culture and language.
Australian National University
The ANU is the national university of Australia, located in the capital of Canberra, and is the host institution of the Sign on Screen project. The research is housed in the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics in the College of Arts and Social Sciences, and is also supported by the Humanities Research Centre.
National Film and Sound Archive
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is Australia’s national audiovisual archive and a founding Sign on Screen partner. In addition to hosting free sign language film screenings and discussions throughout the project, the NFSA will host the 2026 Sign on Screen Film Festival, free to the public in their stunning Art Deco Arc Cinema.
Australian Research Council: DECRA
The Australian Research Council is the premier research funding body of the Australian Government and supports the Sign on Screen project through the Discovery Early Career Researcher Award scheme (DE230100070, 2023-2026).
The ANU Auslan Club
The ANU Auslan Club was founded in 2023 to provide Deaf-led, financially-accessible Auslan courses to ANU students. A student-run group supported by funding from the ANU Students Association and the Student Extracurricular Enrichment Fund, the AAC is a valued supporter of Sign on Screen and an important bridge between students, staff and community interested in Auslan and Deaf Culture.