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MassLive.com
Filmmaker Diane K. Garey and her husband, Lawrence R. Hott, will receive one of 13 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University 2008 Awards for broadcast journalism in January.
Their film "Through Deaf Eyes" was one of 510 submitted for consideration.
"We were very surprised," she said. The film made for the Public Broadcasting System was submitted by public television for the award.
"It was a very complicated film to make," Garey said. "We weren't sure what kind of result we would have, what kind of reception we would have."
The award, to be presented at a ceremony Jan. 16 in New York City, goes to a couple who has won more than 100 awards for Florentine Films/Hott Productions, including an Emmy for their 1997 documentary "Divided Highways." They have been nominated for Oscars twice.
The two spent four years on the film trying to present a balanced picture of the deaf community, capturing the struggle between the oral and signing traditions and the controversy over cochlear implants.
"We were completely outside of the deaf community," she said. "That really meant we had to sort of ease ourselves in. Learn a little bit about the language and not just sign language."
She said they had "200 years of history to tell in two hours."
And they were praised for doing just that. In selecting the film, jurors for the award wrote, "Covering 200 years of the history of deaf culture in the United States, this documentary is full of surprising facts and little-known controversies about deafness. The central focus is on the civil rights of Americans who cannot hear, and the program gives voice to a diverse culture that argues about educational strategies and the ramifications of technological advances designed for the deaf.
"As it probes public attitudes and prejudices, the program draws on inventive and often witty techniques, showcasing a deaf comedian, films by deaf filmmakers, and a rock band of deaf musicians. This is an outstanding example of how television can teach and inspire as it chronicles the evolution of deaf people in the U.S. from isolation to community and their empowerment as a political force."
Garey said the film has been used in schools and has seen the distribution of 7,000 DVDs, which is a lot for a documentary.
The award will likely give the film more attention. PBS affiliates have the option to show the film six times in four years and will likely show it again, she said. "It will probably alert the academic community that hadn't heard of it."
Filmmaker Diane K. Garey and her husband, Lawrence R. Hott, will receive one of 13 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University 2008 Awards for broadcast journalism in January.
Their film "Through Deaf Eyes" was one of 510 submitted for consideration.
"We were very surprised," she said. The film made for the Public Broadcasting System was submitted by public television for the award.
"It was a very complicated film to make," Garey said. "We weren't sure what kind of result we would have, what kind of reception we would have."
The award, to be presented at a ceremony Jan. 16 in New York City, goes to a couple who has won more than 100 awards for Florentine Films/Hott Productions, including an Emmy for their 1997 documentary "Divided Highways." They have been nominated for Oscars twice.
The two spent four years on the film trying to present a balanced picture of the deaf community, capturing the struggle between the oral and signing traditions and the controversy over cochlear implants.
"We were completely outside of the deaf community," she said. "That really meant we had to sort of ease ourselves in. Learn a little bit about the language and not just sign language."
She said they had "200 years of history to tell in two hours."
And they were praised for doing just that. In selecting the film, jurors for the award wrote, "Covering 200 years of the history of deaf culture in the United States, this documentary is full of surprising facts and little-known controversies about deafness. The central focus is on the civil rights of Americans who cannot hear, and the program gives voice to a diverse culture that argues about educational strategies and the ramifications of technological advances designed for the deaf.
"As it probes public attitudes and prejudices, the program draws on inventive and often witty techniques, showcasing a deaf comedian, films by deaf filmmakers, and a rock band of deaf musicians. This is an outstanding example of how television can teach and inspire as it chronicles the evolution of deaf people in the U.S. from isolation to community and their empowerment as a political force."
Garey said the film has been used in schools and has seen the distribution of 7,000 DVDs, which is a lot for a documentary.
The award will likely give the film more attention. PBS affiliates have the option to show the film six times in four years and will likely show it again, she said. "It will probably alert the academic community that hadn't heard of it."