Darcy Brislin, Co-Writer/Producer
Clay Pruitt, Producer
Dyana Winkler, Co-Writer/Producer 

Sloan Grant(s) Received 

2016, Sloan Commissioning Grant, Sundance Institute
2017, Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship, SFFILM
2018, Alfred P. Sloan Producers Grant, Film Independent 

Project Type: Feature 

Genre: Biopic, Drama 

Length: 130 minutes 

Field of Science: Telegraphy, Sensory Perception, Genetics, Eugenics 

Stage: Development 

Synopsis 

Washington D.C. 1880. After years of lawsuits surrounding his telephone patent, Alexander Graham Bell is anxious to refocus on his true passion: educating the Deaf. Hired by the country’s largest Deaf college, he hopes to give the gift of speech to his new students, just as he did for his wife and star pupil: Mabel. Thanks to Alec’s tutelage, Mabel is the epitome of a “closeted deaf woman” speaking and lipreading perfectly, and wants nothing to do with the community Alec has come to save. However, when Alec pressures her to befriend the wife of his rival teacher, Mabel discovers a world where deafness is a culture rather than a disability. As Mabel begins a love affair with Sign Language, Alec grows a deep hatred for its very existence. Fearing he may lose both his wife and career to signing, Alec sets out to “assimilate” the Deaf with fervor.