Amy Cohen Efron's Open Letter to Matt Hamill
Matt Hamill's response
Matt Hamill The Movie
The Legacy of BlackfaceActing Deaf Here We Go Again
Monday, May 12, 2008
Amy Cohen Efron Vs. Matt Hamill
Amy Cohen Efron's Open Letter to Matt Hamill
Matt Hamill's response
Matt Hamill The Movie
The Legacy of BlackfaceActing Deaf Here We Go Again
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24 comments:
sorry Aidan
I strongly disagree with you!
I stand by Amy 100 percent! I am surprise that you support Matt's decision! meaning you are hurting Deaf Talents? they are out of their job?
I am really sad right now! I feel like there is a great divide within Deaf film businesses!
-Gary Brooks
Thank you for bringing out good points as many supporters of Matt have brought out as well.
I honestly thought it was a major loss for the deaf students when Gallaudet and NTID/RIT cancelled their audition. I sincerely hope they will reconsider and hopefully the audition will be rescheduled.
I agree with you 100%.
WELL SAID!!! Thanks so much for making this excellent points! I am deaf and dream of being involved in Hollywood but my own Gallaudet University just throw away my wonderful opportunity to hire more deaf ppl to get involved with Matt Hamill, the Moive! All thanks to my own deaf world and I'm so so DISTRAUGHT and HURT! I still have to wipe my eyes to face this reality of "unnecessary ACROSS THE LINE stubbornness" among "the big D." They are OBVIOUS not an open-minded people, PERIOD!
NTID and Gally lost BIG TIME! Gary Brooks, just calm down, OK? You're the one who is making this unnecessary divided among d/D. Just hear us out!
Yes, RIT/ NTID and Gallaudet SHOULD not rejected Matt Hamill movie. I am sort of appalled about it because I am RIT alumni as well. Being "Declined" the movie can hurt the deaf production and deaf community such as photographer, graphic design, filmmaker, and others like what Aidan said. I do believe Matt Hamill movie will inspire any kind of deaf community such as ASL, Cued, CI, Oral and PSE as we are human being!
Like for example... How do you feel if Aidan Mack produced and directed Matt Hamill movie and it was being rejected by RIT/ NTID and Gallaudet even Aidan allowed hearing actor played Matt Hamill’s character? Doesn’t make any sense to you? Can you explain to us?
Give Matt Hamill movie a chance!!! Believe me, it will inspire any kind of deaf community! The movie will expand more stories about any deaf biography to teach the hearing world.
“We’ve got to be responsible, somebody’s got to be responsible for it.” Sir George Downing
Now, that's a UFC fight I would love to see, Amy and Matt in the ring!
Bring it on!
BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Excellent comments and thoughts on the Amy Cohen Efron vs Matt Hamill situation. I hope hope hope more people see this vlog and will get their heads and opinions in gear.
THANK YOU for that! :D
J
I like your introspective. You're right, it is a loss for the students that Gally/ NTID canceled opportunities. It does put in a wake up call for production companies who want to work with the deaf community.
If the film actually came to fruition with a hearing actor, it makes it hard to believe the movie. I don't know... I am surprised that Matt okayed this. As a deaf person, he should have known it wasn't ethical based on past protests. Did he ignore deaf history/ deaf culture to make a deaf culture movie? It doesn't make sense to me, what he did. It was a business decision for him, but in the end...who knows.
Your perspective on this dilemma makes sense. Deaf college students missed out opportunities to be part of a film project. This whole thing is rather unfortunate.
I will also stand by Amy, Gary, Ridor, Galldaudet, NTID, and many others for sending the message out to the world that there is a need for Deaf people to be recognized, accepted and not portrayed by things they are not.
This has little to do with whether Matt is a D or a d but more to do with money getting in the way of the truth. D and d both need to be recognized and not sold out.
The more we tolerate these things the more we allow "them" to believe they can define us.
Aidan,
I have always enjoyed the things you share with us through your vlogs and I support you in what you do to spread an awareness about the shortcomings of the C.I. industry and hearing ignorance. You do a good job of it and I commend your efforts.
Regarding what you said of Matt's decision, I have to disagree.
I see it this way:
By granting the film industry, yet another precedent of misrepresentation, we are supporting the idea that it is okay to allow hearing people to assume the role of a deaf protagonist in a play or movie. We are enabling the status quo and saying that deaf people, regardless of their background, can be walked upon like doormats and this does little to promote our cultural values as a community.
Though We may have a difference of opinion, don't let this stop us from doing what we do.
You're awesome.
Matt is awesome.
We are awesome.
We all have the power of influence as individuals. Imagine the strength of that influence if we worked together to send the same message.
Just think about it...
...that is all I ask.
Thank you for sharing your views.
yours,
Jeffrey
Thank you! I agree with you completely. I'm glad to see that New York isn't jumping on the bandwagon.
Go, Aidan. Go!!!
Ben Vess
Aidan,
With due respect, your rebuttal on "Amy Cohen Efron v. Matt Hamill" dispute do raise many good points. I am still with Amy Cohen Efron about the ethical issue of casting hearing person with deaf role in film.
I am still perplexed (confused and puzzled) WHY the RIT/NTID and Gallaudet University shut down the audition for casting (??) and film technical crew and easily caved to the political pressures. Whose fault?
NTID/RIT and Gallaudet University!! Those higher education institutions should know BETTER than denying their own students an opporunity to be part of Matt Hamill's film!
Well, I never seen what Esten Kaser (misp.?) look like. Why the film production and director chose Esten Kaser from what we really do not know any real reason?
I challenge you to post Esten Kaser's audition test to see if he is really worthy to perform as a deaf person for the purpose of artistic intergity and freedom. *wiggling eyebrows with pose of q's.
How true about many filmakers and writers and perfomers often cast anyone within their ties with any acquaintances.
Deaf activism sometimes could make good ends for our own existence or not. Who knows?
Most important is to build the rapport within the given community for film casting than solely picking out someone hearing to play the deaf role.
Perhaps Esben Kaster have more muscle developments than anyone deaf to play Matt Hamill.
To be honest with you, I get the vague idea of what is going on with the film development coming with Matt Hamill.
Poor communication access from Matt Hamill's camp probably is his own downfall why the film production casted Esben Kaster in the first place.
Thanks again for sharing your POV with us about what really happened.
I still could not believe that Gallaudet University and NTID/RIT e n g a g e in the censorship business. Both of them should be an example as the beacon of academic freedom when come to students' opporunity and not box any students into the ideal of political correctness. Very troubling trend within many higher education institutions.
Many film productions also faced oppositions and controvesties from the "minority" communities from time to time.
Ever the gay and lebasian activists tried to sabatoge "Cruising" film production back in the 80s.
Welcome to the world of filmaking and identity politics!
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
So glad to see this blog, and completely agree with your comments. You brought up so many great points,and it is truly the deaf community/deaf actors/writers/tech's etc that will lose out because of this constant egocentricity. Its crab theory at its finest, unfortunately. Thanks for posting this!
That's fine! Anybody have a right to express their own opinions about Matt Hamill production. We will share our opinions to improve this Deaf community.
I am supporting the Matt Hamill Production because I am thinking about deaf emplooyees such as filmmaker, production designer, graphic designer, web designer, photographer etc etc for Matt Hamill Production. Matt Hamill Production is NOT all about being deaf actor or hearing actor. I think some people made such a big deal about one freaking actor over the movie...What about other deaf people who works at Matt Hamill production????
I am Graphic Web Designer/ Illustrator and Photographer . I would love to see any deaf students to have opportunity to work with Matt Hamill Production from Gallaudet or RIT/ NTID. It will boost the school's reputation for the deaf community and future deaf children.
“We’ve got to be responsible, somebody’s got to be responsible for it.” Sir George Downing
That Aidan and Matt's business who they choose. It's gonna be hard to find perfect actor as Matt himself. He can speak well, I can speak well, he can sign, I can sign, He is pretty tall, am tall, He has pretty good strong body, uh oh, I dont have his body likeness, am too skinny, he is young, and am damn old. So, it gonna be hard to find small number of Deaf actors all over country. Just think about that. Am support Matt and Aidan. Respect them please, Am support Deaf power but important is respect their wishes and try hard what best for Deaf community. Thanks.
Exactly!! Very RARE to find a decent actor to fit Matt Hamill's character. I bet Matt Hamill had hard time to find perfect actor for the movie. Do you think Lou Ferrigno would play Matt Hamill's character? Absolute Not!!! ;)
Same here, I am oral/ ASL as well as Matt Hamill's. I grew up with hearing world until I arrived RIT/ NTID. RIT/ NTID changed my life. However, my personality and reputation doesn't fits as Matt Hamill's. Im too "Rogue" and I am not his height at all. Smile
“We’ve got to be responsible, somebody’s got to be responsible for it.” Sir George Downing
Aidan,
This is one of your best vlogs ever!!!!! you hit the nail right on the head!!!! Its quite unfortunate that many deaf people do not understand the full story and are jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts.
First of all, Matt grew up oral, which means in the beginning parts of the movie, he will NOT be using sign language. Sign language will not occur until he goes to NTID/RIT and that is where he learns to sign.
Now what Matt wants most importantly in playing his character is someone that knows Matt's life inside and out. Eben has spent the last two years with him and knows him better than any other actor would, whethere they are deaf or not. This is the reason why Matt is comfortable with Eben playing his role. If he were to switch to a deaf actor, that deaf actor would not know what Eben knows about Matt.
Matt also made it very very clear, that he wants deaf actors to play the roles of Jay and Kristi, why? simply because they grew up using ASL themselves and are much more culturally deaf than Matt is. These are where the deaf actors should come in.
But while these 3 roles are major roles in the film, there will be significantly more deaf people used as extras in scenes that take place of Matt's life in NTID. You will probably be seeing more deaf people overall than you would see hearing people.
Its not that Matt chose Eben, because he doesn't feel that a deaf person can't play him, it is because he has worked with Eben over the past two years and he trusts Eben enough to play his role.
Aidan is exactly right, this is an opportunity for many deaf people both inside and outside of the scenes.
Now I personally know Matt, Eben, K'Dee, and Joe as I have met them all and I will tell you that all do want to see a lot of deaf involvement with this and it is the whining like this from Amy, Gary, and others that could potentially ruin it.
If Matt grew up culturally deaf and was a strong ASL user all his life, then Amy, Gary, etc would be exactly right and I would be siding with them on this one. BUt that is not the case so I am not siding with them, instead im hoping that they will open their minds and look at other viewpoints.
Matt did not grow up culturally deaf, he is not a fluent ASL user, he is more of a SEE user and he still uses his voice when he signs. That being the case, I would be ok with using a hearing actor for one reason only, because it is not a culturally deaf role and that Matt wants him, Eben's signing can easily be very similar to Matt's.
Now Gary says that this is hurting deaf talent, what he unfortunately does not realize that those opposing this are hurting deaf talents even more. We are talking ONE person here where a hearing will play the role of the deaf, and that is Matt's role, everyone else is deaf actors, the roles for Jay, the role for Kristi, the roles of extras, the deaf people involved with the making of the movie from pre production to post productions. We are talking as many as 20-50 deaf people being involved with this one way or another. By throwing a hissy fit over one role, you're trying to piss away 20-50 deaf people's involvement with this movie.
Now that in itself has never been done, as least not for a movie of this proportion and now these deaf whiners are just wanting to piss that all away!!!!!!
Wake up you guys!!! this is an awesome opportunity for deaf people!!!
*pissing on Truth*
I guess us whiners don't make any sense because everytime we talk about the way things are, somebody shows up and expects us to pay for the lie we didn't buy.
Deaf is deaf.
Not hearing.
If history keeps repeating itself, that'll only prove how spiritually incompetent we were as a species
People once moved by greed and self power often cease to be human as they were created. They become little gods in their own creation.
But hey I gotta go....
*watching a new vlog "1 guy one bucket"*
I am surprised that Matt did not seek or ask the experts from NTD some inputs on a role play actor. Perhaps this would have helped him to decide on an actor worth to play his part. NTD in my past experience brings talents. It is obviously Matt have decided this for himself. He chosen this hearing actor. It is our deaf culture and NTD represent that culture. I would get advise from those past and present talent NTD actors. If all else fails and the hearing actor is still the role player, you can count me out to support or watch it. Thanks
Hey Aidan,
You are correct that is true.
I would like to ask you a question about my comment Rev.Jeremiah Wright in The Orange Deafie Blog. Tuesday April 29. 2008 "DBC". DO not worry about RR.
Please look it up. I left a comment under my name "Bobby Lopez" 1:47pm,April 29, 2008.
what do you think? My wife and I are very support Rev.Jeremiah Wright,Thumps up.
Please look it up.
Thanks,
Bobby L.
Aidan,
I completely agree with you 100% Too many people are viewing this situation Black/White
The most important info in my opinion is that this WHOLE project is produced by Eben.. the hearing actor.. it was all HIS idea.. if he is not gonna be acting as Matt Hamill, there is NO movie.
And yes, if Matt is cool with it, then it's all good.
Cheers!!
Roger
Yeah, if he's confident about it, I'm cool with him.
Hiya Aidan
I am soo sorry that I spelled ur name wrong in my vlog. I have respond urs! =-)
- Tar
aidan, you should make a new vlog referring people to www.matthamill.com where a fact sheet as been put together by the production team.
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