A dystopic science fiction film written, produced and directed by Nick Sturley and Joseph Collins, two deaf students of the North East Media Training Centre (NEMTC). The story follows John, a deaf man, who suddenly finds his world turned upside down when everyone he knows suddenly stops using or understanding sign language. Being chased by agents Milan, a physical incarnation of the first Milan resolution of 1880 advocating teaching for the deaf oralism over manualism, he is both protected...

A dystopic science fiction film written, produced and directed by Nick Sturley and Joseph Collins, two deaf students of the North East Media Training Centre (NEMTC). The story follows John, a deaf man, who suddenly finds his world turned upside down when everyone he knows suddenly stops using or understanding sign language. Being chased by agents Milan, a physical incarnation of the first Milan resolution of 1880 advocating teaching for the deaf oralism over manualism, he is both protected from and able to defeat Milan with an object give to him as a birthday present which is a representation of deaf culture and identity. Sitting at his kitchen table Richard finishes painting a homemade trophy or model. Similar in design to the World Cup it features what appears to be a football being held aloft by a pair of hands. Writing printed on each hand reads ‘Culture and Identity’ and ‘No Language! No Power!’. Written on the ball itself the words ‘Deaf 0-0’. After cleaning dirt from it Richard gets up and leaves the room leaving his model of the table, it begins to pulsate. He returns wearing a coat putting his model into a pocket, turns out the light and leaves. Title: Milan. The Last Power of Language Richard stands at a bar at the local deaf club waiting to be served. Around him are others chatting or are being served by John the barman. At tables around the club groups of deaf people sit around either play dominos or chatting over drinks using sign language. At the bar Richard compliments his friend John for wearing a t-shirt that reads ‘I [love] sign language’. He orders another drink before presenting John with his birthday present, the model seen previously. He explains how it is a representation of deaf culture and identity, the history of the deaf community and the power of their language. Needing to change the beer barrel John heads down into the cellar. As he starts to change the pipes a series of bright flashing lights blinds him. Startled he return to the bar and attempts to explains to Richard what happened in the cellar. Richard looks at him confused as if not understanding the sign language. John looks around the club at the people sitting at the table. They continue to talk to one another, but orally rather than using sign language. John believes it a birthday joke waving his arms asking everyone to stop, they turn and look at him blankly. Coming from behind the bar John looks around with concern at the people speaking orally. Sitting at a table in the corner two men in dark clothing and glasses each wearing triangular emblems on their jackets that reads ‘Milan’. One holds up a light which causes another light burst blinding John again. He retreats back to the bar. Arriving back home John attempts to explain to his parents and sister in the living room what’s going on, but again they look on him blankly no longer able to understand sign language. After his mother and sister try to speak to him John leaves and as he opens the front door is confronted by one of the strange men at the deaf club. Once again the blinking lights are used on John who runs away and is chanced after by the two men. John races through the streets of Newcastle until he arrives at a pub called ‘Hero’s’. He goes inside and tries to buy a drink at the bar. Again, he finds the barman doesn’t understand sign language and so John is forced to use his hands and point out what he wants. As John tries to recover from the shock and drink his lager, two men standing at the other end of the bar decide to pick on him because he is deaf-and-dumb. As John pushes one of them the two strangers appear and chase after John again tripping over the two men now laying on the floor. Outside John hides in a doorway as his pursuers try to find him. They leave after a voice calls out ‘Leave him!’ John collapses to the floor in exhaustion. Richard wakes up confused on a piece of waste ground, he looks around trying to work out where he is. Sleeping on old newspaper next to a graffiti covered wall is John, Richard comes over and wakes him up. They communicate once again using sign language with John believing the previous night was a nightmare. However, Richard explains this isn’t the case and that it is all real and the blinding flashes of light were a force that made everyone speaking orally with those having ‘sign souls’ being taken away and trapped somewhere. Richard goes onto explain that the two men who were chasing John were hunters and that the flashing lights hadn’t affected his ability to sign. He then says that John is the last hope for all the trapped ‘sign souls’ and must destroy who or whatever is behind this. Suddenly the two hunters appear again making Richard disappear. They capture John but are so horrified by the ‘I [love] sign language’ t-shirt he is wearing that they back away and John escapes once again. As he crosses the Tyne Bridge John looks out onto the River Tyne as he thinks about the ‘Milan’ emblems the two hunters were wearing on their shirts and what it might mean. Putting his hands into his pocket he finds the model his friend made for him. Looking at it he realises what he needs to do. Finding a spare key hidden under a radiator, John enters Richard’s flat and begins looking for information on Milan. Taking several books on deaf awareness to the table he begins to read them while eating some food. Title: Chapter 6. The 1880s. The beginning of the decline. Unfortunately, in the year 1880, what came to be viewed as the greatest injustice ever to be perpetrated against deaf people occurred in September when the highly-misleading international Congress of Teachers of Deaf-Mutes was convened in Milan, Italy Over the next three blocks of inter-titles the actor playing John, Gerry Malley now wearing a red short-sleeved shirt, is signing the text. These sequences are also intercut with the character of John either reading various pieces of deaf literature or contemplating their meaning. Title: The first Milan resolution advocated Oralism over manualism, the language of the classroom was to be the national Oral language, not the manual one. Resolution two took the exclusion of sign one step further: it explicitly struck at any compromise in which the oral language was seconded by the manual one: the ‘pure’ oral method was not preferred. … Soon there would be no need for laws to exclude them for the reduced intellectual achievements attainable under the new Oralist regime effectively prevented the deaf from aspiring from any such career In the aftermath of Milan, ‘pure oralism’ washed over Europe like a flood tide. Many people and schools were swept up in the advance John looks up at a portrait of Laurent Clerc, the renowned deaf educator, on the wall and the words ‘No Language! No Power’ written underneath it. He shakes his head and goes back to his reading. John goes to the front door of the flat where the two hunters are waiting, with a smile he shows them again the ‘I [love] sign language’ t-shirt causing them to back off in fright. Still smiling John surrenders to them and asks to be taken to their leader. John is lead along a brick alleyway and into a bright light. On the other side he unzips his jacket to reveal the ‘I [love] sign language’ t-shirt and stands alone in a darkened space. As he looks around smoke begins to appear, and John covers his eyes with his hands. He lowers them on seeing an eyeless face looking down on him. A second man suddenly appears, and the eyeless man tells him to interpret into sign language what he says. The eyeless man identifies himself as Milan and explains that he wants to bring down sign-language once and for all in favour of Oralism as per the Milan resolution. John argues that Milan is destroying the deaf community as well as their language. Milan explains his desire to destroy John, but senses a power coming from him that has protected him. Another burst of lights causes John to fall to the floor where the model Richard made for him rolls out of his pocket. Milan becomes fearful of the now glowing object causing him to scream out in pain. ‘Sign language is our language!’ proclaims John. Another burst of light and a cloaked figure appears. He picks up the model and after looking over it throws it to John. He explains that all the ‘sign souls’ have been released and are back in their original bodies. The cloaked figure explains he is a follower of Laurent Clerc from the past who have come to the present to help John in his fight against Milan. After thanking John for his work, the man disappears with John appearing in the living room of his home and his parents trying to take a birthday photograph of him. His sister comes over and kisses him on the cheek, everyone is communicating using sign language again. Also in the room is Richard with John asking him about Laurent Clerc. Richard talks about the Frenchman who led the deaf community around the world by supporting sign language over the Oral method. John shows Richard the model his friend had made looking at it proudly. The film ends on John smiling knowingly at the camera. Cast: John, Gerry Malley Richard, John Wilson Milan, Denis Jobling Milan Oral Police Paul Miller, Joseph Collins Laurent Clerc’s follower, Nick Sturley John’s Mother, Margaret Murphy Milan’s face interrupts the closing credits stating, ‘I’ll Be Back!’ Credit: John’s Father, John Philip Murphy John’s Sister, Clare McCann Interpreter, Tony Beckett Hearing Men in Pub John Methrell, Tony Pickering Hearing Barman Mike Notton Title: With special thanks to our Lady of Lourdes Deaf Club, Heroes Pub and the staff of NEMTC Credit: Camera Operator Clare McCann Studio Cameras Clare McCann, Mark Baker, Gohar Nisar Camera Assistant Bob Mosey Lighting / FX Ian Raynor Sound Recordists Sue Wood, Anne Carruthers, Paul Flint, Themba Ndebele Grips Julie Ballands, Yve Tipling ‘Milan’ Special Make-Up Effects Gohar Nisar Costumes Yve Tipping Make-up Barbara McFarlane Floor Manager Alison Daglish ‘Interpreter’ Consultants Siobhan O’Donovan, Caroline Ryan Assistant Editor Ian Rayner Graphics Ian Raynor Production Assistant Ian Jefferies Production Manager Siobhan O’Donovan Script Consultant Steve McGiffen Subtitler Ian Raynor Editor Alison McCabe Script Nick Sturley and Joseph Collins Producer Joseph Collins Director Nick Sturley The film ends on hands waving in the air. End title: © NEMTC 1991