Sign Gene

Lore & Background

Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes was originally conceived as a short film but expanded into a feature-length production after attracting interest. It was shot in Japan, the United States, and Italy. Casting was done by word of mouth, with a focus on actors who were native signers fluent in sign language. The film stars Emilio Insolera as Tom Clerc, a descendant of Laurent Clerc, a famous figure in deaf history who brought sign language to the United States. Other cast members include Carola Insolera as Kate Massieu, descendant of pioneering deaf educator Jean Massieu, and Ben Bahan as Hugh Denison, head of the QuinPar Intelligence Agency.

Reader's Guide

Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheroes is significant for its representation of deaf culture and sign language in a mainstream superhero genre. The film makes coded references to deaf history, such as the organization 1.8.8.0., which alludes to the Milan Conference of 1880 that sought to eliminate sign language from deaf education. The Q.I.A. agency name references the five parameters of sign language linguistics: handshape, movement, location, orientation, and non-manual signals. The film received positive reviews, with critics praising its inventive use of sign language and visual style. It premiered in Milan in September 2017 and had subsequent releases in the United States and Japan in 2018. The film's legacy lies in its empowerment of deaf actors and its integration of deaf history into a superhero narrative.

Did You Know?

• The film's title refers to a genetic mutation present in only 29 out of 300 genes responsible for causing deafness.
• The organization 1.8.8.0. references the Second International Congress on Deaf Education in Milan in 1880.
• Q.I.A. stands for QuinPar Intelligence Agency, named after the five parameters of sign language linguistics.