By Juan Markos
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 4/22/24 – I attended the closing night of the inaugural Signlight International Film Festival on April 20th, 2024, at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood California.
I was honored to be at the event however I felt a bit uncomfortable not knowing the language, “American sign language” I spoke to an interpreter at the event whom I mentioned this, and she told me that this is how deaf people feel daily which kind of opened my eyes a bit more, I also felt a bit rude and inadequate, since I kept trying to speak to people who couldn’t hear me, I for the first time interviewed people with an interpreter, there’s a first for anything, but as I’ve become accustomed I kept pointing the mike to the person which made me feel rude also, towards the end of the night I had gotten the hang of it, and look forward to interviewing people next year. Living in a metropolitan area I often find myself wondering why I don’t know more languages I hear on a daily, languages like Korean, Hebrew, and Arabic, I’m going to add American sign language to the list. There were really interesting things I found out from my experience working with the translators and watching them translate others but the language itself differs from person to person, like another interviewer who was a bit loud and obnoxious was being translated with loud and obnoxious gestures, I found it funny, the translator told me that I’m translated more elegantly since I’m softer spoken and composed, I had no idea. I’m suddenly really interested in American Sign Language.
I interviewed CJ Jones (Avatar: The Way of Water, CODA, Baby Driver) about his amazing talents, it was my first interview using a translator so I was super awkward and not looking at CJ at first, I kept looking at the translator and looking at CJ, but as time moved on I stopped looking at the translator but I did keep trying to look in the other direction, we discussed his amazing career and specifically his work with James Cameron and developing the Na’vi sign language. He created over 300 signs for the Avatar Films. We discussed his Hollywood beginnings on “a different world” and working for many studios as a “DASL” (Director of American Sign Language) we discussed how important it is for every media outlet to have this role specifically news outlets where they have hired people impersonating translators on news programs time and time again.
You can learn the Na’vi sign language developed by Jones at https://www.avatar.com/community
Here is our interview with CJ:
MORE ABOUT SIFF:
Said Jones, “Too often, hearing people misappropriate the stories and roles of people who are Deaf, only to seek out their assistance to help them create a facsimile of their lives. Authentic representation requires authentic participation behind as well as in front of the camera. Our festival offers the industry a ‘how-to manual’ that illustrates models of successful Deaf/hearing creative collaborations, best practices, innovative Deaf/hearing communications solutions, and a contact roster of the best Deaf talent in the world.”
