"Chiquita doesn't know that she's deaf... so that doesn't stop her from being a dog."
🎞️Meet Laurie and Chiquita in HEARD (@heardfilm ) | Available Now for free on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 8 and the TELUS TV+ app with an Optik TV or Stream+ subscription. Bonus Content "The HEARD Herd" available on YouTube. Link in bio.
Directed by Brian Ceci
Written by Brian Ceci & Nigel Edwards
Produced by Jamila Pomeroy
Featuring Brian Ceci, Kelsie Grazier, Laurie Landry, Ruzzelle Gazmen, and Joseph Martin
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#HoH #Deaf #hardofhearing #asl #deafcommunity #vancouver
Film, Filmmaker, BC Film, AB Film, British Columbia, Alberta, Documentary, Docuseries, Social Impact, Film funding, Film Production, Canadian Film, TELUS
Watch @heardfilm for free today on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 8 and the TELUS TV+ app with an Optik TV or Stream+ subscription!
I met @brianceci back in my journalism days, and when we caught up years later I was immediately struck by his pursuit to find HoH community and the story he wanted to tell. While I am not HoH, I could relate to so many of the themes — as a Black woman in a city where our Black community is so small —and the constant interpersonal and identity tug-of-war that results from this kind of isolation.
At its core, this film is about having the courage to be vulnerable, show up in the world as your authentic self, and to co-create community where people feel truly seen and HEARD.
I feel so fortunate to have been able to Produce this film, work with this team, and the HoH and Deaf community on the film. Seeing the response from the film so far has only solidified the importance of authentic representation on both sides of the camera, and the need for truly accessible screening experiences!
Photos by @neonedgewater & @nicolatraverse
Film Premiere: HEARD (@heardfilm )
Searching for a sense of belonging, a Hard of Hearing (HoH) filmmaker journeys to find community and distinguish HoH as a culture of its own.
Directed by Brian Ceci
Written by Brian Ceci & Nigel Edwards
Produced by Jamila Pomeroy
Featuring Brian Ceci, Kelsie Grazier, Laurie Landry, Ruzzelle Gasmen, and Joseph Martin
HEARD is available now for free on TELUS Optik TV Video on Demand channel 8 and the TELUS TV+ app with an Optik TV or Stream+ subscription. Learn more in our bio.
Visit the TELUS originals YouTube channel for Bonus Content: “The HEARD Herd,” a roundtable discussion featuring the Hard of Hearing creators from the film as they discuss and reframe hearing loss, not as a deficit, but as an entry point into creative endeavours that fuel the way they make their living.
— #HoH #Deaf #hardofhearing #asl #deafcommunity #vancouver
Film, Filmmaker, BC Film, AB Film, British Columbia, Alberta, Documentary, Docuseries, Social Impact, Film funding, Film Production, Canadian Film, TELUS
“Growing up wearing hearing aids, I never saw films featuring character depictions of hearing loss outside of Deaf themes,” says Ceci. “While Deafness is certainly an important marginalized group, there is a gap between hearing and Deafness that is essentially voiceless, even in 2026. I know people like me want to feel seen, and of course heard.”
~ Brian Ceci, filmmaker ‘HEARD’
HEARD, a TELUS original film, will be available to watch free on demand on
TELUS Optik TV channel 8 and TELUS
Stream+ on April 21st, 2026
HEARD follows Hard of Hearing (HoH) filmmaker Brian Ceci as he grapples with accepting his own condition by connecting with other people on the HoH spectrum to create a small support community.
HEARD is a documentary that centres the collective experience of the space between hearing and Deafness. Hearing is a fundamental component to the way society is structured. We have built infrastructure, activities, culture and communication on the ability to hear. And on the other end of our spectrum, society has seen Deaf individuals develop a sophisticated language and culture built around Deafness. With this film Ceci dives into the gap between these two distinct cultures where many Hard of Hearing people live.
HEARD combines intimate vérité footage, archival family recordings and candid interviews to examine what it means to belong to a community defined not by a single experience, but by a shared spectrum of hearing loss and identity. According to Statistics Canada, more than one in seven Canadians live with some degree of hearing loss, yet the lived experience of partial or progressive hearing loss remains largely absent from mainstream storytelling. HEARD brings that experience into focus through a distinctly personal and community-driven lens.
“Ruckus Machine Pictures was founded with the purpose of telling impact-driven stories from underrepresented communities — not just occasionally, but exclusively,”
~ Jamila Pomeroy, Producer
HEARD is produced by Ruckus Machine Pictures in association with Transient Films & Windowbox Media.
What does it mean to be Hard of Hearing?
In HEARD, searching for a sense of belonging, Hard of Hearing (HoH) filmmaker Brian Ceci journeys to find community and distinguish HoH as a culture of its own.
TELUS originals is proud to support this week’s sold-out world premiere of HEARD (@heardfilm ) a powerful community screening and Q&A.
Filmmakers Brian Ceci, Jamila Pomeroy, Nigel Edwards and team welcomed over 400 attendees in Vancouver to discover their film, engage in conversation and connect with other Hard of Hearing and Deaf folks throughout this meaningful, community-centered evening.
Thank you to everyone who came out to watch, celebrate and share your stories. A special thanks to @wavefrontcentre@chhabcofficial for your support of the filmmakers and partnership in accessibility of the screenings.
Don’t miss your chance to see this film on a big screen at the @riotheatre ! Tickets are still available for the encore screening in Vancouver this Sunday April 19. Ticket link in bio.
Not in Vancouver? Heard premieres on TELUS Optik TV and the TELUS TV+ app this Tuesday, April 21st.
📸: Pablo Su
— #HoH #Deaf #hardofhearing #asl #deafcommunity #vancouver
Film, Filmmaker, BC Film, AB Film, British Columbia, Alberta, Documentary, Docuseries, Social Impact, Film funding, Film Production, Canadian Film, TELUS
Did you miss this week’s sold-out screening of HEARD? GIVEAWAY alert! Want to win two tickets to see HEARD on Sunday April 19th at the @riotheatre ? Contest entry details:
> like this post
> follow @heardfilm
> tag who you’d bring in the comments
Each comment is worth one entry. No purchase necessary. Two winners will be selected and contacted on Saturday April 18th.
Doors open at 12:00 pm | Movie starts at 12:30 pm, and will be followed by a Q&A. More ticket details can be found at RioTheatre.com
This screening is made accessible with open captions, ASL interpretation, Auracast live talk to text captioning, and Bluetooth connectivity through the Bettear App — all thanks to the generous support of our community partners @wavefrontcentre & @chhabcofficial
Photos by Pablo Su, Courtesy of @telusoriginals
Stream HEARD for free on demand on TELUS Optik TV channel8 and TELUS Stream+ starting April 21st.
Many know what it means to be Deaf, but very few understand what it means to be Hard of Hearing (HoH). Searching for a sense of belonging, Brian Ceci, an HoH cinematographer, journeys to find community and distinguish HoH as a culture of its own. Along the way, he meets other HoH creatives and experts who are using their HoH experience to fuel their craft, create big change and visibility.
Directed by Brian Ceci
Written by Brian Ceci & Nigel Edwards
Story Produced by Jamila Pomeroy
Produced by Jamila Pomeroy
Cinematographer Israel Seoane
Editor Bruna Arbex
Casting Director Maria Georgescu
Composer Joseph Martin
Graphic Designer Tony Kempen
Colourist Patrick Gong
Sound Design & Mix Oscar Vargas
Associate Producer, PM Nicolas La Traverse
HEARD is a TELUS originals film
Executive Producers Brian Ceci, Jamila Pomeroy, Nigel Edwards.
Produced by Ruckus Machine Pictures
In association with Transient Films & Windowbox Media
Trailer edited by Benny Schuetze
#HoH #Deaf #hardofhearing #vancouver #documentary
