Ted Evans

(He/Him)

Ted’s breakthrough project is the film Retreat.

From short film, The End, that put Ted on the map to another, Retreat, that years later has led to his debut feature of the same name this filmmaker has been on quite a journey.

As a child of the 80s Ted has always been passionate about the big screen – despite films rarely being subtitled in the cinema when he was growing up. Now he is a champion of sign language cinema. Citing greats such as Stanley Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese as sources of inspiration Ted also highlights that it was seeing deaf filmmakers such as 2020 BAFTA Breakthrough Bim Ajadi pave the way that “actually allowed me to believe it was even possible to be part of the industry”.

Ted’s breakthrough project, and debut feature, Retreat is a film about identity, community and choice. With a majority cast of deaf actors it is predominantly in a mixture of sign languages – including ‘Chilmark dialect’ which they created as a collective.

In his own words…

“I’ve become the filmmaker I am because of the deaf community. Everyone knows that the film and TV industries are incredibly difficult to break into, but it was those early and relatively small opportunities from within the community that enabled me to meet so many talented people and learn from them. It really does take a village sometimes and I’ve been so lucky to have been supported by amazing producers and talented people who believe in me and the stories I want to tell.

“They say write what you know. Having seen so many portrayals of deaf people in cinema has inspired me to offer something different. We are all part of the human experience but historically our stories have been written, told and portrayed by people who don’t share our experience. I’m passionate about sign language cinema and have learnt so much about the medium when making films in sign language. More than anything, I am driven by the stories and the characters that tap me on the shoulder.”