Flirting (With Possibilities)
The doors are closed. There are no more screenings of this film.
Synopsis: Harley, a Deaf man, is determined to figure out the most effective way to flirt with the cute hearing guy he sees in the coffee shop, which requires a bit of trial and error. As he stumbles through each attempt, “Flirting, with Possibilities” provides a glimpse of how it feels to communicate primarily via American Sign Language in a predominantly hearing, speaking, and English-using world.
Language
Run Time
Starring
Jason Tam
Tom Berklund
Jared Johnston
Andrew Keenan-Bolger
Directed by
Produced by
Cinematographer
Director's Statement
While there are already films about Deafness, they have mainly been spearheaded by hearing writers, producers, and directors with little to no firsthand experience with the people, the language, and the culture. As a result, Deaf actors have historically lent their incomparable talents to films made by those with little to no knowledge of what their lives and experiences are like. While it is important to support all opportunities for Deaf talent, it’s also more than time to start supporting original work created by Deaf artists themselves, elevating and amplifying these voices and stories that have been thus far marginalized and ignored.
Director's Bio
Based in New York City, profoundly Deaf writer, director, and actor Garrett Zuercher works professionally in film, television, and on stage. After graduating magna cum laude from Marquette University in his hometown of Milwaukee where he majored in both theatre and creative writing, he quickly landed the lead role of Huckleberry Finn in the international Broadway tour of Deaf West’s Big River. Since then, he has guest starred on multiple television shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent and was featured in such films as Todd Haynes’ Wonderstruck. Honored with multiple writing awards from the Kennedy Center for two of his plays, Quid Pro Quo and Hard Places, he is dedicated to bringing authentic Deaf voices to the mainstream and continues to advocate for awareness and representation within the theatre and film industries. During the recent pandemic, he cofounded Deaf Broadway to provide native language access in American Sign Language to virtual theatre for the Deaf community via professional Deaf actors. Recently, he directed Deaf Broadway’s first live, in-person production, a fully-ASL staging of INTO THE WOODS at Lincoln Center. Currently, he is in the final year of his MFA studies in playwriting at Hunter College and a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity, and the Dramatists Guild. For more, please visit www.garrettzuercher.com.