Cork producer: 'I think people go into a film thinking about the sound and the voices..this is completely different'

A Quiet Love is a trailblazing new documentary, presented entirely in Irish Sign Language. It follows three Deaf couples as they navigate life, love, and major decisions.

The film is directed by Garry Keane and produced by Seán Herlihy, who comes from Cill na Martra near Ballyvourney, and Anne Heffernan.

Herlihy is Deaf and communicates through Irish Sign Language. Over the years, he has worked on several documentaries, but A Quiet Love is his first to receive a cinematic release.

The film offers insight into the Deaf community, their joys and struggles, many of which hearing people may never have considered. Herlihy explains why making this documentary was so important.

“When I was growing up, I never saw anyone like me on TV or in the cinema, people who shared the same language and culture.

“Most shows and anything related to the Deaf community were confined to Deaf audiences and rarely reached the mainstream. That’s why many people don’t really know or understand much about the Deaf community. With this film, we really wanted to change that.”

The two producers met several years ago while working on an RTÉ show, Hands On. The pair recognised the lack of programming for Deaf people and began working to change that.

A Quiet Love is not just the first to feature all ISL; it is the first documentary to have a largely Deaf crew. Herlihy says that it was important to have both a Deaf and a hearing producer.

“We shared a strong sense of allyship, working together and nurturing the dream of Deaf and hearing people collaborating. There have been so few opportunities for the Deaf community in film and TV.

“Garry is such an experienced and creative director at telling highly visual stories. This gave us the opportunity to bring on two Deaf trainees, who shadowed Garry and learned different aspects of the industry through their training.”

There were 28 members of the Deaf community on the crew, and Herlihy says it not only provided opportunities for Deaf people to work in the film industry but also offered new opportunities to hearing crew members.

“We gave the hearing crew opportunities to learn ISL so that when hearing crew members arrived, they were signing ‘Hello’ and ‘Good morning’. Even tiny bits of sign made a huge difference.”

The film follows three couples: John and Agnes, an older couple from Northern Ireland who faced the dangers of being Deaf during the Troubles; Michelle, from Ballincollig, and her wife Cathy, who are raising both Deaf and hearing children; and Seán, a Deaf boxer whose ambition to turn professional forces him to make a difficult decision. If he pursues his dream, he will have to give up the cochlear implants and therefore lose the ability to hear his wife and son. Heffernan says that seeing how John and Agnes communicate reveals the beauty of the connection between Deaf people.

“I remember looking at John and Agnes and seeing how they communicated, how they looked at each other, and the real beauty and intimacy of Deaf relationships. That’s something that you don’t really see replicated in the hearing world, that idea that to talk to someone, you have to look straight at them, that to get someone’s attention, you use a gentle touch on an arm. I found it really impactful watching the two of them.

“That very intimate form of communication that exists within the Deaf community was the perfect way to tell more in-depth stories.”

The documentary recreates the early days of John and Agnes’s relationship, and both producers agreed it was important to cast Deaf actors. Herlihy says filming was a special experience for the young actors.

“What was brilliant is that when they arrived on set, they saw me, a Deaf producer. The hairdresser they met was Deaf. The make-up artist they met was Deaf. There were Deaf interpreters. It was such a beautiful experience, and seeing some of the hearing crew signing as well made it even more special for those young Deaf actors.”

Herlihy attended primary school in Cork before moving to Dublin for secondary school, travelling by train each weekend. He notes that there are now far more educational options, with many mainstream schools offering units for Deaf students. In addition to filmmaking, Herlihy works at Dublin’s Holy Family School for the Deaf and hopes his film industry experience will inspire students.

“I’m 20 years teaching in the school, and I’m so grateful to have a job-sharing scenario. It means I can work part-time and explore my other interests outside of the school. It’s incredible to be able to bring that into school as a Deaf role model, to show young students that there are so many options and avenues available.”

Both producers hope that A Quiet Love marks the beginning of many more films like it, and they are optimistic that funding will follow.

Herlihy says the film gives Deaf people the opportunity to see their community represented on screen and provides hearing audiences with a new understanding of what it means to be Deaf.

“I think a lot of people go into a film thinking about the sound and the voices, but this is completely different. It shows that you can sit and watch this beautiful film through sign language, captions, and facial expressions, and really feel all the emotions from the characters.

“Yes, there are barriers and challenges our couples face, and it’s good to come and learn a little bit about that and understand more about barriers, but you get both aspects of the Deaf experience.”

A Quiet Love is in cinemas from February 6, Cert:12a