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Sign on Screen Festival: ‘Maligagu’ – Our Land, Our Stories
Sun
24
Sun 24 May 11:00 AM
Arc Cinema
General Admission
60 Mins | Sign on Screen Film Festival
May
Presented by Rodney Adams
Moderated by Sofya Gollan
Like Indigenous spoken languages worldwide, Australia’s Indigenous sign languages have been impacted by colonial ideologies of normalcy and European imperialism.
Colonial ideals of audism and whiteness are the antithesis of the traditional practice of Indigenous inclusion. Traditionally, deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were highly valued for their translanguaging and linguistic fluidity. Non-deaf Indigenous people traditionally embraced these skills to become multilingual and multimodal communities across the Australian continent.
This panel session challenges commonly held ideologies about current dominant narratives and enhances linguistic diversity in the context of deaf people’s roles in Indigenous communities. Through short films it will showcase how the resistance and revitalising work of sign language can deepen our understanding of Australia’s past and the influential role sign language can play in shaping a more inclusive future.
Rodney argues for the revitalisation of First Nations sign languages as a part of the global majority movement to reclaim and revitalise Indigenous languages in communities, education curricula and academia.
Presenter Rodney Adams
Rodney Adams is adjunct lecturer and researcher, a deaf First Nations person from Western NSW, and a Research Affiliate with the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP) at the University of Sydney. His expertise in the field of Indigenous Sign Languages and their importance to the cultural, social and emotional wellbeing of deaf Indigenous people, has been instrumental in the establishment of the Indigenous Disability Studies Unit. The Unit has strengthened its focus on Indigenous Sign Languages and issues impacting deaf First Nations.
Rodney works at the University of Sydney across various faculties and teaches into courses including ‘Disability and Decolonisation’. He is instrumental in organising the Aboriginal Sign Language Forum for the past three years with other deaf Indigenous researchers globally. Rodney’s chapter on ‘The Importance of Indigenous Sign Languages on the Cultural Empowerment of Deaf Indigenous people’ with John Gilroy in the book - Indigenous Disability Studies - by John T Ward, has become a benchmark in Indigenous Disability Studies worldwide becoming a best seller in 2025. A keynote speaker at the Puliima Aboriginal Language and Technology Conference in Darwin in 2019 and the 2025 New Zealand Sign Language Teachers Association conference, Rodney’s value and versality as a Deaf Indigenous scholar, lecturer, and researcher are highly regarded.
Moderator Sofya Gollan
Crossing from a career in theatre, Sofya is an award- winning writer and director of documentary and drama. Her short films have appeared in more than 50 film festivals worldwide including the prestigious Clermont Ferrand Festival. Gollan is a graduate actor of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the Australian Film & Television and Radio School (AFTRS) completing a Masters in Directing. She is a proud member of Deaf/Disabled communities.
Sign On Screen Festival runs from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May. All events are free. Registration is essential for individual sessions or for a Saturday and/or Sunday day pass.
Accessibility
Arc Cinema is equipped with hearing loop capability.
All workshop and panel events will be Auslan<>English interpreted and all screenings will feature English-language SDH captions.
Dom's deli and bar is available onsite for all your food and beverage needs.
Sign On Screen is a collaboration between the Australian National University, Deaf Connect, the Australian Research Council and the NFSA.
Moderated by Sofya Gollan
Like Indigenous spoken languages worldwide, Australia’s Indigenous sign languages have been impacted by colonial ideologies of normalcy and European imperialism.
Colonial ideals of audism and whiteness are the antithesis of the traditional practice of Indigenous inclusion. Traditionally, deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were highly valued for their translanguaging and linguistic fluidity. Non-deaf Indigenous people traditionally embraced these skills to become multilingual and multimodal communities across the Australian continent.
This panel session challenges commonly held ideologies about current dominant narratives and enhances linguistic diversity in the context of deaf people’s roles in Indigenous communities. Through short films it will showcase how the resistance and revitalising work of sign language can deepen our understanding of Australia’s past and the influential role sign language can play in shaping a more inclusive future.
Rodney argues for the revitalisation of First Nations sign languages as a part of the global majority movement to reclaim and revitalise Indigenous languages in communities, education curricula and academia.
Presenter Rodney Adams
Rodney Adams is adjunct lecturer and researcher, a deaf First Nations person from Western NSW, and a Research Affiliate with the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP) at the University of Sydney. His expertise in the field of Indigenous Sign Languages and their importance to the cultural, social and emotional wellbeing of deaf Indigenous people, has been instrumental in the establishment of the Indigenous Disability Studies Unit. The Unit has strengthened its focus on Indigenous Sign Languages and issues impacting deaf First Nations.
Rodney works at the University of Sydney across various faculties and teaches into courses including ‘Disability and Decolonisation’. He is instrumental in organising the Aboriginal Sign Language Forum for the past three years with other deaf Indigenous researchers globally. Rodney’s chapter on ‘The Importance of Indigenous Sign Languages on the Cultural Empowerment of Deaf Indigenous people’ with John Gilroy in the book - Indigenous Disability Studies - by John T Ward, has become a benchmark in Indigenous Disability Studies worldwide becoming a best seller in 2025. A keynote speaker at the Puliima Aboriginal Language and Technology Conference in Darwin in 2019 and the 2025 New Zealand Sign Language Teachers Association conference, Rodney’s value and versality as a Deaf Indigenous scholar, lecturer, and researcher are highly regarded.
Moderator Sofya Gollan
Crossing from a career in theatre, Sofya is an award- winning writer and director of documentary and drama. Her short films have appeared in more than 50 film festivals worldwide including the prestigious Clermont Ferrand Festival. Gollan is a graduate actor of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the Australian Film & Television and Radio School (AFTRS) completing a Masters in Directing. She is a proud member of Deaf/Disabled communities. Sign On Screen Festival runs from Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May. All events are free. Registration is essential for individual sessions or for a Saturday and/or Sunday day pass.
Accessibility
Arc Cinema is equipped with hearing loop capability.
All workshop and panel events will be Auslan<>English interpreted and all screenings will feature English-language SDH captions.
Dom's deli and bar is available onsite for all your food and beverage needs.
Sign On Screen is a collaboration between the Australian National University, Deaf Connect, the Australian Research Council and the NFSA.
May
Price