Deaf President Now! debuts on Apple TV+
Deaf President Now! is described as the story of the greatest civil rights movement most people have never heard of. During eight tumultuous days in 1988 at Gallaudet University, the world’s only Deaf university, four students must find a way to lead an angry mob to change the course of history.
Directed by Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim, Deaf President Now! premiered at Sundance Film Festival, and will debuts on May 16, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Deaf President Now! recounts the eight days of historic protests held at Gallaudet University in 1988 after the school’s board of trustees appointed a hearing president over several very qualified Deaf candidates. After a week of rallies, boycotts and protests, the students of Gallaudet University triumph as the hearing president resigns and beloved dean Dr. I. King Jordan becomes the university’s first Deaf president. The protests marked a pivotal moment in civil rights history, with an impact that extended well beyond the Gallaudet campus, and paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Deaf President Now! features exclusive interviews with the five key figures of the movement, including the Gallaudet Four — Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok — alongside I. King Jordan, as well as archival and scripted elements. The film also incorporates an experimental narrative approach called Deaf Point of View, using impressionistic visual photography and intricate sound design to thrust the audience into the Deaf experience.
Watch the official trailer for Deaf President Now!
Andrew Goldberg’s ‘White With Fear’ documentary explores political strategy of racial division
Told by the operatives in the rooms where it happened, White With Fear is described as an explosive deep dive into the decades-long quest by America’s conservative political machine to amass power by exploiting racial fault lines and stoking narratives of White victimization.
It will be released on demand starting June 3rd
Emmy Award-winning director Andrew Goldberg’s documentary White With Fear sheds light on the decades-long strategy of politicians and media outlets to amplify racial divisions and white victimization narratives for power and profit.
The documentary features first-person access to figures like Hillary Clinton, Steve Bannon, Rep. Jamie Raskin, former Fox News reporter Carl Cameron, The Lincoln Project co-founder Stuart Stevens, and other leading experts.
Watch the official trailer for White With Fear.
1996 ‘Shall We Dance?’ starring Koji Yakusho gets re-released in theaters
In 1996, Miramax released Shall We Dance?, Masayuki Suô’s feel-good romantic comedy that became a surprise at the box office, taking in nearly $10 million in the US alone.
Starring Oscar® nominee Kôji Yakusho (Perfect Days, The Third Murder, Warm Water Under a Red Bridge), the film would go on to spawn a Hollywood adaptation starring Richard Gere. Also starring in the movie were Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eri Watanabe, Yû Tokui, Hiromasa Taguchi, Reiko Kusamura, and Hideko Hara
In Shall We Dance?, Shohei Sugiyama (Yakusho) seems to have it all — a high-paying job as an accountant, a beautiful home, a caring wife and a doting daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day, while commuting on the train, he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a window and eventually decides to find her. His search leads him head-first into the world of competitive ballroom dancing in this “infinitely touching” (The Washington Post) modern classic that “will sweep you off your feet” (The Austin Chronicle).
The new 4K restoration of the original, 136-minute film, available uncut for the first time in North America, and 17 minutes longer than the Miramax version, opens at NYC’s Film Forum on May 30, 2025 before going wide to additional markets
Watch the trailer for Shall We Dance?
Daniel M. Hill’s dark rom-com film Beth + Jeremy and Steve sets May 30 release date
The romantic dark comedy film Beth + Jeremy and Steve, written and directed by Daniel M. Hill, will be released on demand, as well as on DVD, starting May 30, 2025.
Shot in Portland, Oregon and capturing the city’s retro and mod culture, it stars Lucas Friedman (‘Jeremy’), Briana Ratterman (‘Beth’), and Matthew Dibiasio (‘Steve’).
Beth + Jeremy and Steve has won acclaim including as Opening Film at Germany’s Bremen FilmFest, Best Actress at Santa Fe Film Festival, and Best Screenplay at Chicago’s Blow-Up Film Festival.
Described as an age-gap romantic dark comedy with atmospheric and surreal overtones, Beth + Jeremy and Steve centers on a unique love triangle that unfolds between a disillusioned high school senior, a thirty-something woman at a marital crossroads, and her volatile husband.
“It’s been great meeting the audiences all over the world and having them tell me how much they love and identify with one of the three characters,” said filmmaker Daniel Hill. “It’s never the same character and the audience seems to bring their own stories to this one, I love it.”
Watch the official trailer for Beth + Jeremy and Steve.