‘JESUS: a Deaf Missions film’ Premieres in India

• ‘JESUS: a Deaf Missions film,’ made by a Deaf cast and crew, premiered in India.
• The film, a silver screen adaptation of Jesus’ life, is entirely in American Sign Language.
• It includes Indian Sign Language interpretation and Hindi voiceovers for local audiences.
• The director and lead actor of the film attended the premiere in New Delhi.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 24th Aug: The first-ever feature film written completely in American Sign Language, an adaptation of the life of Jesus Christ, has premiered in India. The film, titled ‘JESUS: a Deaf Missions film,’ features an all-Deaf cast and is a collaborative effort between Deaf Missions and India Signing Hands, a Deaf-led organization based in Mumbai. To make the film accessible to Indian audiences, producers added Indian Sign Language interpretation and Hindi voiceovers.

The film’s cast and crew have embarked on a six-city tour across India, which began with a premiere in New Delhi. More than 250 Deaf individuals and officials from various government institutions attended the event, celebrating this historic moment for the Deaf community in the country.

Director Joseph D. Josselyn, who also serves as the CEO of Deaf Missions, expressed his excitement about the film’s release in India. He shared his hope that the Indian Deaf audience will finally be able to watch a film about Jesus without any language barriers, becoming fully immersed in the story through their heart language.

Gideon Firl, the Deaf actor who portrays Jesus in the film, spoke about his personal connection to the country, saying he fell in love with India after living there. “I am pleased to introduce this work produced with Deaf actors and Deaf professionals to bring this story to life for the Deaf audience,” he added.

Alok Kejriwal, the founder and CEO of India Signing Hands, a Deaf individual himself, shared his organization’s vision. His goal is to ensure that all films are accessible to everyone, regardless of their abilities or language barriers. He revealed that India Signing Hands has previously made other stories accessible to Deaf audiences, including the animated series ‘Little Krishna,’ and is currently in talks with the producers of ‘Ramayana.’

The film, aptly tagged “For Deaf by Deaf,” is set to release in select theaters across India starting August 30th.