Witham is to be the backdrop for a new film which will document the problems facing deaf people Charles Castell, a 24-year-old graduate film student, is recruiting a cast ready to start shooting next May.

Film debut - Graduate film student Charles Castell

The central characters will be genuinely deaf, but he wants to audition local people for the rest of the cast.

"The only way to be realistic is to cast deaf people," he said. "They will come from a specialist agency. But we will need hearing people for many other roles, so anyone interested should call me for a chat.

The film will explore a growing area of conflict which hearing people find difficult to understand: the schism which can open when a deaf person opts to have their hearing restored by a cochlea implant.

"It's hard for us to understand, which is why I have chosen it as a subject," said Charles.

"Some deaf people, especially children of deaf parents, fear they may lose their sense of identity with the deaf community if they can hear again. It's very real. Deaf people can be very close to one another. I have heard some use the phrase deaf pride.

"I want to create a drama in which we follow a deaf teenager as he gets an implant, and to then explore his impressions as he tries to adapt to a new and cacophonous world of sound. The experience will drive him away from his deaf parents and alienate him from an unsympathetic hearing world

"I want the film to get inside the head of a person experiencing immense sensory and emotional changes."

Charles, who lives near Witham, will present the l6mm film to Boston University as his final thesis project, and hopes it will do well on the festival circuit in the US and Europe

Anyone interested should contact Charles on 01621 892196

Published Friday January 2, 2004

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