Egypt's deaf communicate their woes through cinema
The Deaf Film Lab initiative trains Egypt's deaf and hard of hearing youth on how to use the camera to communicate with others in society.
A group of young Egyptians launched the Deaf Film Lab initiative to provide a new platform for the deaf and hard of hearing to express themselves through filmmaking.
The initiative comes after the Egyptian government’s focus on the rights of people with special needs in education and employment and their socio-political rights. The government declared 2018 the year of those challenged with a disability.
In the first phase of the Deaf Film Lab initiative, in March, 14 deaf people between ages 15-25 were trained in filmmaking in Alexandria. The participants produced three short films addressing the difficulties they face, their plight and integration efforts.
One of the films produced — “Mesh Fahem” (“I do not Understand”) — tells the story of an illiterate deaf young man who finds himself unable to order a meal at a restaurant. His communication problem is made worse by the fact that he also does not know how to read and write.
