Deaf Film Screening to Benefit SWIC Sign Language Club
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Name:Deaf Film Screening to Benefit SWIC Sign Language Club
Date:November 17, 2017 - November 18, 2017
Event Description:
When Heidi’s long-lost twin Hedy moves in, it turns her quiet life upside down. This may sound like a typical Hollywood comedy, but there is a twist to this independent film – Hedy and Heidi are deaf and their dialog is in sign language. “Hedy & Heidi: The Lost Sister,” will be shown Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 18 at 4:30 p.m. in the Southwestern Illinois College Belleville Campus Liberal Arts Complex Theater, 2500 Carlyle Ave. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the SWIC Sign Language Club. “This is a rare opportunity for people in the deaf community to enjoy a film where the main characters sign,” said Karyn Houston, coordinator of the SWIC Sign Language Studies program. “Everyone is welcome. There is sound – and captions – and the quirky situations are bound to appeal to everyone who enjoys comedy.” The film, by Bad Cats Entertainment, is the brainchild of actress/filmmaker Heidi Branch, who plays both sisters. Houston happens to be friends with the Executive Producer Thomas Otto-Bruc, Producer Roger Vass and Director Jason Roberts from her work with Deaf Inc. a St. Louis-based sign language interpreter company. Roberts has also led numerous workshops for the SWIC Sign Language Studies program. The SWIC screening will be the film’s first public showing following its red carpet premier in Hollywood. “We thought this would be a perfect way to spread the word about this unique film and to shine a spotlight on the Sign Language Studies program and Sign Language Club,” Houston said. Tickets are $20 general admission online. For the Nov. 17 show, visit https://goo.gl/2H54gh, for the Nov. 18 show, visit https://goo.gl/SbgQmh. Limited tickets will be sold at the door for $25. SWIC offers a 67-semester-credit, two-year Associate in Applied Science degree in Sign Language Studies: Interpreter for individuals who want to pursue a career as an interpreter; and an 18-semester-credit, two-semester certificate in Sign Language Studies: Basic Communication for students who want to enhance their communication skills for personal or professional use. The curriculum focuses on American Sign Language, but also teaches students to recognize and adapt to variations in language usage for a broad range of audiences. For more information about the film or the SWIC Sign Language Studies program, contact Houston at karyn.houston@swic.edu.