Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova took part in the discussion after the screening of the film "Marlee Matlin: No Longer Alone" as part of the BEAT Film Festival

On June 9, 2025, the GES-2 Culture House hosted a screening of the documentary film Marlee Matlin: No Longer Alone, dedicated to the life of actress Marlee Matlin, the first deaf Oscar winner. After the screening, a discussion was held, in which Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova took part

Vlad Kolesnikov, Elena Iarskaia-Smirnova and Polina Sineva

Nikita Bolshakov

The discussion also included Polina Sineva, a deaf screenwriter, showrunner, and author of the Telegram channel “On the Representation of the Deaf in Popular Culture,” and Vlad Kolesnikov, a hearing-impaired teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing, a curator of programs for the deaf and hard of hearing community, and an accessible environment specialist at the GES-2 Culture Center.

Still from the film "Marlee Matlin: No Longer Alone"

https://beatfilmfestival.ru/

Participants discussed the specifics of representing the deaf experience in cinema, emphasizing that deaf people should not be limited to stereotypical images on screen and are capable of embodying a wide variety of characters. Questions and comments from the audience at the end of the discussion allowed them to move on to discussing the practical aspects of filmmaking and training young filmmakers.

Further discussion of deaf representation in various media will continue at the Third Annual Interdisciplinary Conference, Exploring the Deaf Community, which will take place from October 17 to 19, 2025.