Deaf President Now!

A must-watch for everyone in the hearing and non-hearing world. It reminds us again that there is no such thing as a disability unless we treat it like one. In a world designed for birds, walking will be a disability if everything else is strictly expected to fly!! A moving documentary that has succeeded in putting together cinematography, meaning, direction, and emotions perfectly. As they rightly said, what's the point of education if they think the deaf are not capable of leading and running their university? More power to the real-life heroes! Hoping we hear and see more such real-life stories till it's an equal world for everyone.

Thanks to Apple TV for churning out great content, once again.

Watched at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.

The Deaf President Now! Movement has been forgotten and with this new documentary, it is an ambitious and well-intended story that explores the historic moment of the Deaf President Now! Movement with great insightful explorations and some of the best editing and sound designs of recent times for documentaries.

Many of the participants and discussions are directly used well, blended with the archival footage, sound designs and inspiring moments that allows the viewers to be drawn into the political dynamics. Getting into the time period and getting into their shoes. You feel for those who are going through that event and observing the politic tension and moments in that time era, you feel a sense of anger, purpose, and the disfunction that the deaf community was going through and how they fought for themselves. Despite having some moments that does feel repetitive with it's length, Directors Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim have successfully discussed a subject that shouldn't be forgotten.

From silence, we create thunder.

We were never silent - the world just wasn't listening.

DPN: we rose together, louder than sound itself.

It's not the past - it's our heartbeat today.

You may look at us as silent beings, but our voice shakes the world.

DPN isn't just history - it's who we are.

Every Deaf person should see this.

It's our history. Our power. Our voice. Our story.

Well-structured, deeply moving, and a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together. It shows the barriers we have faced, the obstacles we have overcome, and the strength we hold when we unite. We are the living proof of what unity and resilience can do for the Deaf community worldwide.

Hats off to Nyle DiMarco. 👏

Our voices are finally being heard!

It was revealing to get behind the scenes of the week-long protest to change the ingrained practice of appointing people capable of hearing yet not capable of understanding or communicating with the deaf student body and teachers they were supposed to be serving. I moved to the DC Metro in February of 1988, and this reminded of all of the talk about Gallaudet University. I hadn't heard of a school for the deaf before I moved here. I recall all of the changes that occurred to make communities more accessible when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, largely due to this event and the relentless passion of the students. I didn't know that that Gallaudet was a major catalyst that enabled the actualization of that law. An inspirational documentary. I will be watching it again and recommending it to loved ones and friends.

This was a truly great documentary - riveting, heartbreaking, inspirational, emotional, empowering, etc. There truly are not enough adjectives to describe the powerful story that the creators of this film have created.

One of the most impressive aspects of Deaf President Now! Is how much archival footage was available and how it was woven so perfectly with the present-day interviews of the five featured characters, along with some heart-wrenching film clips from the childhoods of the four students. The editing of all these elements helps create a movie that works on so many levels and delivers a powerful message about deafness that most hearing people like me need to know about.

I recommend this film 100%. Thanks again to Apple TV+ for bringing yet another great documentary to its streaming service. It's one more reason why it is, by far, my favourite of all the services I subscribe to.