Two UK Deaf Documentaries

I met UK Producer/Director Rosa Rogers at EsoDoc (3week Social Documentary Workshop). Two of her documentaries truly inspired me. "Dragon People" follows a young photographer through China and the second one "The Greatest Show on Earth" introduces viewers to the wonderful world of samba dancing. What makes these documentaries special is that all the characters are deaf. Fantastic!

DRAGON PEOPLE (2006)

Photographer Louise Gibson goes on a journey through modern China, entering the world of China’s 20m ‘Dragon People’. In Beijing she meets state workers fearful for their future, older people reflecting on changes over the last 25 years and young people left out of the economic boom. In rural China she discovers how different life is to China’s fast growing ‘super cities’. A portrait of life in China as it heads towards becoming the most powerful economy in the world.

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (2006)

25 year old Nana Twum Danso loves to dance. It’s how she expresses herself and makes her feel free. Profoundly deaf since birth, Nana feels music rather than hearing it – “I feel it tingling on my skin.. it’s like an angel, lifting me”. We follow Nana on the challenge of a lifetime - to learn samba, one of the fastest dances in the world, and perform in the Rio Carnival. Put amongst some of Rio’s top dancers, with just a week to learn, will she make it through?

Both of these documentaries were broadcasted on VEE-TV - Channel 4's magazine programme for young deaf people.

Check out more of Rosa's work on her website http://www.rosarogers.co.uk