Movie Review: Fable Deaf ~ Written and produced by Deaf Crows Collective

I was invited to attend the showing of the short film, Fable Deaf, on May 21, 2024. It was held in a banquet room at the Crave Restaurant on Victoria Avenue. The room was crowded with a mix of deaf and hearing Regina residents. The film was silent, with subtitles and full of action and energy. It was a juxtaposition of past knowledge and present trials. An old library of built only of windows and loose boards was cared for by elderly Hugo (Allard Thomas) who would have been content to read his history books and have a cup of tea. Devi (Fatima Nafisa), a young and happy girl, was trying in vain to repair the window frames of the old library that really was falling apart. To Do Lists were posted everywhere, none of the items checked off. Jaul (Mustafa Alabssi), a curious and then angry young man tried to make Hugo understand his concerns but they fought. In a beautiful bout of magical realism, their anger erupted in a violent storm that almost swept them all away and destroyed the library. Jasper (Oscar Grodeki), a child, was seen at the beginning and throughout the film - a young boy alone and seemingly forgotten. In the end, the generations came together and agreed to work together.

This entire evening was in ASL (American Sign Language) with an expert interpreter for those of us who did not understand or communicate in ASL. Following the film and a brief Q & A, we were treated to an explanation of how the film was made as well as a synopsis of its meaning. The ‘library’ was built at Thom Collegiate. The storm scene was shot in a local back yard in a swimming pool! 

It was an excellent production. If you would like to contact the Deaf Crows to see a trailer of this film, or just to ask questions their website is deafcrowscollective.ca

“I am fourth-generation deaf, which means everyone 

in my immediate family is deaf. So I grew up always having

 100 percent accessibility to language and communication, 

which was wonderful and something so many deaf people don’t have.”

~ Shoshannah Stern, actress

Written and produced by Deaf Crows Collective

Directed by Chrystene Ells

Starring

Mustafa Alabssi as Jaul

Oscar Grodecki as Jasper

Fatima Nafisa as Devi

Allard Thomas as Hugo

Shot on location the John Hopkins Regina Stage, Regina, Sk