Watch all films in full by clicking on their titles.

MINE (2013, for theatre)
25 minutes
Deafinitely Theatre
When Annie, who is Deaf, meets Sam, who is hearing, in a cafe, the conversation is tense and awkward. Sam can’t sign and Annie can’t lipread him. Why are they meeting? And can they find a connection? Meanwhile, Annie’s husband Roy is ill and he’s getting worse. What can we read into his visions? This play was researched with the help of the British Association of Adoption and Fostering, and was shown as part of Deafinitely Theatre’s scriptwriting showcase, 4Play. Mine featured projection, multimedia and voiceover.
Director: Jeni Draper
Actors: Jean St Clair, John Wilson, Chris Kelham
Reviews: Stage and Sign, Deaf Capital

MY SONG (2011)
24 mins
C&B Films / BSLBT
A coming of age story which follows Ellen, a young deaf girl stuck in the middle of the deaf and hearing worlds. Feeling as though she doesn’t fit in, Ellen learns sign language, attempting to enter the deaf world by taking part in a sign song competition in London. However Ellen is about to find her journey more difficult than she first thought. Funded by the British Sign Language Trust (BSLBT), My Song is thought-provoking and reveals a hidden truth about the deaf community in Britain today.
My Song premiered on the Community Channel and Film Four (on UK digital TV) on 23rd May 2011. It can be seen in full online at http://www.bslbt.co.uk/programmes/my-song/
Director: William Mager
Actors: Lara Steward, Cassie Raine, Daryl Jackson, David Hay, Will Dunn, Linda Richards
Awards: Best short film, Deaf in the Picture (Amsterdam) 2011, Best actress, Clin d’Oeil (Reims, France) 2011, Shown at Brighton International Festival 2011
Reviews: DaDa South, ITV SignPost, D-PAN Interview, I look so I can hear (blog),

HANDS SOLO (2010, cert: 15)
1 x 15 mins
UK Film Council/104 Films
Released theatrically across the UK as part of the Magic Hour, Hands Solo is a mockumentary about a deaf man with a very special, yet controversial talent (or should that be “salad?”) at his fingertips. Hands, a 30 year old deaf man, is admired by men and loved by women for his work in adult classics such as ‘The Wristler,’ ‘The Empire Signs Back’ and ‘Glove of the Dragon.’ But when he sends his co-star into a coma, he is forced to confront his life choices… the film was described by Sight and Sound as “a solid if typically silly contribution to the great British mockumentary tradition.” (watch in full here – please be advised the film is not explicit but is very rude indeed. You can also see a special bonus film about Hands’ Mum and Dad, here.)
Director: William Mager
Actors: Matt Kirby, Nicola Stapleton, Deepa Shastri, Ben Green, Chris Curran
Awards: Best short film, World Deaf Cinema Awards (Washington DC) 2010; Audience Award, DC Fest 2010, Best special effects, Clin d’Oeil Rheims (France) 2011
Reviews: Holy Moly, Short of the Week, Short of the Week interview with director William Mager about making the film

THE FINGERSPELLERS (2010)
8 x 5mins
BSLBT/Remark Production
Comedy mini-series about a family of 1940s deaf gangsters. With DeafFather growing older, can Sonny protect the family from the growing menace of the Opera family? Starring the great and the good of the deaf acting world, the series – directed by award winning deaf director William Mager – premiered in March 2010 on the Community Channel and on You Tube. A 30 minute version was released later that year.
Director: William Mager
Actors: Ilan Dwek, Rebecca-Anne Withey, Matt Kirby, Stephen Collins, Matthew Guerney, Diana Martin, David Hirshman

DEPARTURE LOUNGE (2009) 1 x 30 mins
BSLBT/Mutt and Jeff Pictures
‘Departure Lounge’ is about two deaf men who become friends in hospital, one a terminally ill pensioner, the other a disillusioned teenage porter. At different stages of their life, their friendship gives them hope for the future when they consider the possibility of a “deaf heaven.”
Director: Louis Neethling
Actors: Hal Draper, David Sands, Abi Gorman, Patsy Palmer
Awards: Merit Award, SuperFest – Berkeley, California, USA (2011), Best Film of Festival, Deaffest Film Festival – Wolverhampton, UK (2010), Best Short Film, Ippocampus Ciak – Milan, Italy (2010), Audience Choice Award, Ippocampus Ciak – Milan, Italy (2010)

LIPSTICK AND LOLLIPOPS (2008, for theatre)
90 mins
Deafinitely Theatre
‘Lipstick & Lollipops’ follows Isabel, a Deaf teenager who moves to London with her mother. Unsettled, Isabel rebels by escaping to a late night party. As the night unfolds, Isabel confronts the past she has been hiding for so long. Toured the UK and had a two-week London run at the Drill Hall Theatre.
Director: Paula Garfield & Andrew Muir
Actors: Diana Martin, Charley Arrowsmith, David Sands, Chris Curran, Hannah Timms
Reviews: Disability Now, BBC Ouch

FOUR DEAF YORKSHIREMEN / FOUR DEAF YORKSHIREMEN AND THE MISSING WIFE (2007/2008)
2 x 10 mins
Supported by Remark Production
Filmed in one afternoon for £100, my directing debut clocked up over 130,000 views on YouTube. Four grumpy deaf men argue about their deaf childhood – and soon a waterlogged roof, a frozen little finger and a mould-ridden loaf of bread come to life in their hands! The film was followed by a sequel the following year.
Actors: John Smith, Matt Kirby, Ilan Dwek, Jonathan Reid

COMING OUT (2007)
1 x 6 mins
BDA/Mutt and Jeff Pictures
A boy goes to his mother with a compelling secret. Will she understand? A quirky comedy, ‘Coming Out’ premiered at the London Deaf Film Festival and was later shown on BBC2, clocking up over 150,000 views on the internet. The film won numerous awards around the world and an ITV Writers Award at the 2007 DaDa festival – the prize being three weeks with the Coronation Street story team.
“I thought you were just being artistic…”
Director: Louis Neethling
Actors: David Hay, Debbie Norman, Ilan Dwek
Awards: ITV Best Scriptwriter, DaDa Awards – ITV (2007), Best Film, Deaffest Film Festival – Wolverhampton, UK (2007),
Best International Film, Finnish Sign Language Film Festival – Helsinki, Finland (2007), Best Film, Clin d’ Oeil Festival – Reims, France (2007)

Not forgetting…

WHIPLASH (1999)
My first film, made when I was 17. One of three I made for my Art A-Levels. ‘Whiplash’ was intended to delve into the psychology of driving… featuring two very differently aged drivers, each as reckless as the other…
Music was a track called ‘Five Mile Drive’ by local band Outsider.
Actors: Mark Stringer, Howard Swinbourne