i-D online are proud to present That’s Not All of Me, a poem on film, written and performed by deaf young people from South East London.
“Let me scream. Scream till my heart breaks and lungs bust.” That’s not all of me weaves together lines of poetry written by over 50 deaf young people, to create a collective voice that is powerful and capable. Poems were submitted by deaf children and adults aged between 11 and 22 across the UK to the Life & Deaf website, and that body of work formed the script for the film. That’s not all of me premiered at London’s Southbank Centre in March last year and recently won the Ritter Sport Award at the Zebra International Poetry Film Festival in Berlin. But this is the first time the film has been shown online. Carrying with it the emotion of Sylvia Plath, the common touch of Rudyard Kipling and the modern lyricism of Marshall Mathers, That’s not all of me stands up against the best. Frustration, anger, confidence and progress come out in beautifully constructed and equally raw lines, performed by ten talented young deaf poets living in Greenwich.
When you consider that 95% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, you can see how feelings of isolation can overpower. That’s not all of me, and the Life & Deaf Association use creative mediums to bring out those feelings and turn them into something positive. One of our favourite films of 2012, watch and you’ll agree.
Text: Sarah Raphael
Film Director: Eelyn Lee
