BIFF for the Deaf

BIFF TO PRESENT FILMS FOR THE DEAF

Posted – Feb. 11, 2012

In one of the first programs of its kind, the Beloit International Film Festival will present American Sign Language Films as part of the new BIFF for the Deaf program on BIFF Sunday, Feb. 19. Two family friendly films rated PG will feature actors using American Sign Language.

The films to be shown are The Legend of the Mountain Man and Gerald. Legend will be presented at noon and Gerald at 2:30 at the Beloit College Hendricks Art Center in downtown Beloit.

  • Date: Sunday Feb. 19
  • Location: Hendricks Art Center

  • Film:  Gerald
  • Time: 2:30 pm
  • Tickets: Buy Tickets


The Legend of the MountainThe Legend of the Mountain Man is a film for all ages, set in picturesque Montana. It is the story of a family coming to grips with a dysfunctional history through the children who go to spend the summer at their grandparent’s ranch.

They try to navigate the family’s past and reconcile some of the estranged family members. Their journey includes an unexpected encounter with a mountain creature nobody has seen before.

GeraldGerald tells the story of the powerful and emotional journey of a young man yearning for kinship. One day he discovers that he has a deaf autistic grandfather that nobody has ever told him about.

He us committed to finding him and reconnecting as family ties and secrets unfold in a continuous twist of events.

The BIFF for the Deaf program is sponsored by the Southern Wisconsin Interpreting and Translation Service (SWITS) which provides sign language interpreters throughout the region.

“There is a sizeable population of deaf individuals in the Stateline area and a school for the deaf and hard of hearing in Delavan,”, “We are particularly appreciative of SWITS and its director and BIFF board member Saul Arteaga, who’s company provides ASL interpreters, for bringing the need for such a program to our attention and in helping to select the films. We hope to expand this program in future years.”

The 2012 Beloit International Film Festival is sponsored by the Hendricks Group in association with Beloit College and with funding from Visit Beloit. It is supported and underwritten by many local businesses, organizations and individuals.