Unheard Stories Film Festival

Bunjil Place is proud to partner with Soundfair to bring the Unheard Stories Film Festival to the Outdoor Screen. Join us for a night filled with films about the lives of deaf and hard of hearing people. 

The festival will open with a live Q&A with Samuel Martin, award-winning filmmaker of documentary Deafying Gravity, followed by the screening of four films from the festival program and one film from AFTRS alumni. 

Tickets are just $7.00 and include complimentary pop-corn or choc top.

The Unheard Stories Film Festival will be Auslan interpreted and live captioned. All films contain English captions. 

In the event of wet weather this festival will still go ahead with wet weather contingencies.

Film Program 

Hear Me Out (9 minutes) 
In English with English subtitles 
Director: Marcus Van Altena, Screenwriter: Marcus Van Alt 

This documentary focuses on the experiences of Sue Walters and Jackson Tait. The narrative explains how Sue and Jackson came to have cochlear implants and features a short interview with Prof Bill Gibs. 

Hear Me Out was a winner at the London Independent Film Awards 2021.

Deafying Gravity (14 minutes) 
In Auslan with English subtitles 
Director: Samuel Martin, Screenwriter: Danni Wright Samuel Martin 

Deaf queer aerial performer Katia Schwartz reflects on life, identity and her extraordinary career in this compelling documentary short from emerging Deaf filmmaker Samuel Martin (Sam I Am).  

Deafying Gravity premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2021.

Amplify This! (16 minutes) 
In English and Auslan with English subtitles 
Director: Lisa Westhaven, Producer: Soundfair 

Showcasing the diversity of lived experience by spotlighting individual stories, this short documentary explores the issues of identity, access and belonging for people who are Deaf and people who have hearing loss. 

We Hear You (40 minutes)  
In English with English subtitles 
Director:  Carolina Cordero, Screenwriter: Shari Eberts  

We Hear You depicts the stigmas and challenges of living with hearing loss. Executive produced by three women with hearing loss, the documentary was conceived, filmed and directed across two continents, all during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

We Hear You was a winner at the Cannes World Film Festival 2021, this is an Australian premiere. 

See For Yourself (11 minutes) 
In English with English subtitles 
Director: Kylie Aoibheann, presented by AFTRS 

A visceral psychological thriller experienced through the eyes and  ears of a profoundly Deaf teenager, whose cochlear implant emits an excruciating noise in her head when she ventures to a grungy house party. 

Soundfair is a non-profit organisation committed to transforming the experience and wellbeing of all people with hearing conditions. They do this by amplifying their diversity, focusing on the whole person and catalysing change across the system and society in order to achieve their vision of a fair – fulfilling, accessible, inclusive and respectful – world for people with hearing conditions. Find out more about what they do, and how you can help here on their website.