An Irish documentary film, Quiet Love, has won the “Being Oneself” award at the 2025 Doc Edge Awards in Auckland, New Zealand. The film was promoted by Taskovski Films, a UK-based production and sales company owned by hearing people who bought worldwide sales rights to the film. The story is told entirely in Irish Sign Language (ISL) and follows three Deaf couples sharing their experiences of navigating life between the Deaf and hearing worlds. One couple met at a Deaf school, where both Catholic and Protestant students were allowed to mix. Another story features a Deaf boxer and his hearing girlfriend. The third couple is part of the LGBTQI+ community, raising both Deaf and hearing daughters. The film explores the challenges these couples face, including religious discrimination, addiction, prejudice, and medical barriers. One couple cannot hear the sounds of war around them. Another struggles to communicate with emergency doctors. The boxer cannot get an MRI scan due to his cochlear implant, which affects his boxing career. Garry Keane, the film’s director, is known for his work on international documentaries but “Quiet Love” is his first film in ISL. His production team included both Deaf and hearing crew members, and he actively mentors emerging Deaf filmmakers. Keane emphasizes that the film avoids gimmicks and instead aims to provide a real and authentic portrayal of the Deaf experience. Critics praise “Quiet Love” as powerful and genuine, saying it helps build understanding between Deaf and hearing communities.

During a Canadian graduation ceremony celebrating Indigenous women, Manitoba Minister of Accessibility Nahanni Fontaine ordered a sign language interpreter off the stage, calling her presence “distracting.” The other person referred to the interpreter’s signing as “frantic hand movements”, and Fontaine exclaimed, “Yeah, I'm like, 'F—k, why did I have her on the stage?' Jesus! I'm like, 'you need to leave.'” The interpreter was removed from the stage. Deaf graduate Deborah Owczar said the removal ruined her celebration and left her feeling excluded. Her Deaf daughter, Stephanie Jebb, also in attendance, now questions whether to attend her own graduation next year. Fontaine later issued public apologies – first blaming poor event planning, then posting on Instagram after hearing from the Deaf community and promising accessibility improvements. Owczar said the apologies felt hollow and failed to repair the harm. Interpreter access is essential for Deaf individuals to participate fully in public life. Owczar and Jebb said exclusion is a familiar experience—and found it especially troubling that it came from the very official tasked with improving accessibility. The incident has led to calls for Fontaine’s resignation.

Viewers! After almost 13 years, DeafWire will become a part of H3 World TV's "WorldSign Week," program starting next week, July 14, 2025. WorldSign Week is our news program that focuses on news developments around the world, and is shown on Wednesdays and Fridays. We will no longer produce the DeafWire program. Thank you for all of your support over the years, and we look forward to continuing to share news with you all via WorldSign Week.