Deaf Jam

About The Film

A celebration of the beauty of American Sign Language, DEAF JAM follows a deaf Jewish teen from Queens as she finds her voice as a slam poet. An Israeli immigrant, the plucky and fiercely independent Aneta Brodski is clearly a standout at the Lexington School for the Deaf, where she attends ASL poetry improv workshops with her fellow students. Her creativity propels her to become one of the first deaf competitors in a national poetry slam contest. In an intriguing sociopolitical twist, Aneta meets Tahani, a hearing Palestinian slam poet, and the two embark on a hearingdeaf performance collaboration that mirrors the complex realities they share. Utilizing innovative animation and high-energy editing to convey the power of sign poetry, filmmaker Judy Lieff aims to revitalize a three-dimensional language and endangered art form.