Today, Apple Original Films released the official trailer for the groundbreaking new documentary, Deaf President Now!, from Academy Award-nominated producer, co-director and Deaf activist Nyle DiMarco, and Academy Award-winning producer and co-director Davis Guggenheim (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie).

Releasing on AppleTV+ May 16, the film recounts the history-making protests that took place at Gallaudet University, the world’s first and only college for the Deaf. In 1988, students rose up in rebellion after the school’s board of trustees appointed a hearing president (who couldn’t even speak sign language) over more qualified Deaf candidates.

The documentary captures “the greatest civil rights movement most people have never heard of”, and does so through passionate interviews with those who were there and an astonishing amount of footage from the time. The filmmakers put the audience on the frontlines with the protesters during an intense eight-day standoff that would see the university install its first ever Deaf president, Irving King Jordan.

The protests marked a pivotal moment in civil rights history, with an impact that extended well beyond the Gallaudet campus, and paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Deaf President Now!” features exclusive interviews with the five key figures of the movement, including the DPN4 (Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok) alongside I. King Jordan, as well as archival and scripted elements. The film also incorporates an experimental narrative approach called Deaf Point of View, using impressionistic visual photography and intricate sound design to thrust the audience into the Deaf experience.

A full review is coming closer to the release date. For now, experience the eye-opening trailer for this important work.

Directors: Nyle DiMarco, Davis Guggenheim

Producers: Amanda Rohlke, Davis Guggenheim, Jonathan King, Nyle DiMarco, Michael Harte

Executive Producers: Laurene Powell Jobs, Lizzie Fox, Casey Meurer

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