TV☆3SIS Presents Deaf Culture Night: ASL alt-reality horror film "Deafula" (1975) + Norwegian Sign Language magazine program "Tegnsatt" episode 1 (1989) on Blorptube @ 10 PM CET / 5 PM EDT
TV☆3SIS Presents Deaf Culture Night: ASL alt-reality horror film "Deafula" (1975) + Norwegian Sign Language magazine program "Tegnsatt" episode 1 (1989) on Blorptube @ 10 PM CET / 5 PM EDT
※Remember to turn on your VPN and make sure you have a Hexbear account.
※MIND THE GAP! Due to Europe and Turtle Island leaving DST on different dates, the listed time for tonight is 10 PM CET and 5 PM EDT. Turtle Island will leave DST on November 2; until then, the time difference will be one hour shorter.
What's the chef cookin' tonight?
Deafula is a 96-minute 1975 black-and-white budget horror film entirely in American Sign Language (ASL); it was the first ever feature film in this language, and is I think a perfect pick for All Hallows' Eve Eve Eve. Created by Gallaudet alumnus and National Theatre of the Deaf member Peter Wechsberg ("Peter Wex"), and filmed on Chinookan lands of Cession 352, Deafula shows — as the title might suggest — a Deaf vampire who goes around murdering people and drinking their blood. The film also notably takes place in an alternate reality where hearing people do not exist.
Deafula was originally a silent film, with English-language spoken interpretation and a soundtrack being added later on to make the film accessible to hearing audiences. We'll be watching the version with interpretation, but if you want to watch the movie in its original silent form… there's a pretty convenient button on the video player for doing just that.
Tegnsatt (roughly "Put into Signs"), rebranded as Tid for tegn ("Time for Signs") in 2003, was an informational program in Norwegian Sign Language created by Døves Media (formerly Døves Video) as a "magazine for the Deaf", similar to other sign language magazines, such as BBC's See Hear (1981-present). Based on the Døves Media archive, it seems like Tegnsatt began in 1989, around the same time as NRK's sign language news service; and ended in 2008.
Døves Media's current informational program is called Tegnkast, but I unfortunately can't subtitle that show because I don't actually speak NSL.
Content warnings and accessibility
Audio description: Not available.
Sign language: American Sign Language (Deafula), Norwegian Sign Language (Tegnsatt).
Captions: English.
Language of audio: English (Deafula), Norwegian (Tegnsatt).
Content warnings:
According to DoesTheDogDie, Deafula contains:
- Murder of a dog.
- Blood and murder; vampirism.
- Stalking and kidnapping.
- Christian symbolism.
- Falling to one's death.
- Baby in peril; childbirth.
- Death of a parent.
- Vomit.
- Shaky cam.
- Burning alive.
- Needles and cigarettes; substance use.
- A character is restrained.
- A character loses their hands as a punishment from God.
For Tegnsatt episode 1, I can attest to:
- Discussion of the marginalization of Deaf people, including oralism.
- There's a retelling of a fairy tale in which a character is eaten alive.
♫ Uniting nations at the speeeed of liiiiight ♫[epic sax solo]♫ Station of the '20s — TV☆3SIS! ♫