The award-winning film FEELING THROUGH has been breaking barriers. Not only does it star a DeafBlind actor, but the director Doug Roland has also been holding fully accessible screenings across America (first in person and now virtually). The film was inspired by a chance meeting Roland had late one night with Artemio, a DeafBlind person. The topical film has been selected for numerous high-profile international film festivals and has been taking home numerous awards. FEELING THROUGH can be seen online during Slamdance in February 2021. This 13 time award-winning film (made in partnership with Helen Keller Services) marks the first time a DeafBlind actor has ever starred in a film.
This coming of age story follows Tereek, a teen wandering the streets of New York, desperate for a place to crash when he encounters Artie, a DeafBlind man in need of help getting home. What begins as an awkward meeting between strangers, quickly becomes an intimate bond between friends and a journey that forever changes Tereek.
Writer/Director Doug Roland is a filmmaker with a passion for telling stories about individuals and communities overlooked and underrepresented. He has taken Feeling Through around the country as part of The Feeling Through Experience, a 3-part screening event made fully accessible for moviegoers of any level of vision and/or hearing loss. Since the pandemic, Doug has held accessible live streams of The Feeling Through Experience for thousands of viewers. Doug's short film Jada played in over 2 dozen festivals around the world before becoming a viral sensation with nearly 23 million views on YouTube, garnering thousands of comments and emails from viewers around the world deeply moved and inspired by it. Doug produced the feature film Life Hack which racked up 16 awards on the festival circuit (including Best Independent Feature at the Cleveland International Film Festival). He studied film at the University of Wisconsin Madison and FAMU in Prague.
The Feeling Through Experience (:60) from Doug Roland on Vimeo.