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Exclusive: The story of the real-life 1988 protests at all-deaf Gallaudet University that became a watershed moment for the deaf community in the U.S. is being turned into a feature film. Jules Dameron, a Gallaudet alum, wrote and will direct Deaf President Now, which is now casting and aims to begin production later this year.

Sam Sokolow (Nat Geo’s Genius) and Steven Posen are producing the pic along with PhilmCo’s Jonathan Prince and Peter Samuelson. Amy Lanier and Bruce Daitch are executive producing. The team said it is committed to a mixed Asl/English-language production. “We intend this to be the first mainstream film to be fully integrated with a deaf-oriented crew and set,” Posen said.

Posen originated the project with Dameron to tell the story behind the uprising at the Washington DC university, at the time the only all-deaf college in the U.S. The student-led protests...

Desilu Studios, the production entity behind projects like V: The Movie, is exploring a potential public offering in the U.S. as part of its acquisition of Israeli tech company Vonetize.

Execs at Desilu said Friday they had acquired a controlling stake in Vonetize, which provides streaming technology for major studios as well as distribution, security and monetization. News of the transaction sent Vonetize shares zooming up 83% on Sunday on the Tel Aviv stock exchange. Vonetize operates in more than 60 countries and has partnerships with Samsung, LG, Disney, Warner Bros., Fox, Sony, Universal and others.

Desilu said it had bought a 10% stake in cash from controlling shareholders at a company valuation of $50 million, receiving an option to buy 44% more over the next 12 months. Vonetize said Sunday that Desilu would explore a U.S. offering to finance the deal for the rest of its proposed stake in the Israeli business. Another...