The nominations are in for WORLDEAF Cinema Festival’s (WDCF) filmmaker award competition taking place Nov. 4 through 7 at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Out of a staggering 173 submissions from 132 filmmakers from 30 countries, the 11-member judging committee has selected 17 films from seven countries. A complete list of the nominated films is below.
Films were submitted in five professional categories, including Best Narrative, Best Documentary, Best Short, Best Mini-15 and Best Film about the Deaf Experience by a Hearing Filmmaker. The selection reflects the wide variety of subject matter and storylines created by deaf and hard-of-hearing filmmakers as well as hearing filmmakers. From works just nine minutes long to full-length narratives, the nominated films depict fiction and non-fiction stories, not just about deaf culture and topics, but the overall human experience.