Movie Made Entirely In American Sign Language Premieres At Tulsa Theaters This Weekend

A new movie in Tulsa theaters this weekend is one of only a few movies in history that’s entirely in American Sign Language.

It tells the story of Jesus.

The producers say they wanted to create a movie that deaf people could watch without worrying about having to read the subtitles.

"ASL and English are a different syntax, so even reading English and trying to enjoy a story is awkward in itself, no matter how skilled they are at English,” said Angie Mathis with Deaf Missions, the company behind the film.

The movie is two hours and 30 minutes long, and everyone in the movie is communicating in sign language with English subtitles- with natural sound in the background.

B&B Theaters says the film has already been popular and that they’ve had to move shows around to make sure they can keep up with the demand.

Allison White is deaf and saw the movie during a pre-screening.

She says the format gives her a chance to focus on the movie and its message without having to worry about closed captioning.

She hopes people will see the movie, even if they aren’t religious.

"With this movie, I don't have to look down at the captions and I can just immerse myself in the film,” said White. “I don't have to worry about reading anything. It's so easy. I can just enjoy it. This time, my hearing friends will have to look at the captions and up and they might get overwhelmed, and they might miss some of the action because they're trying to do both at the same time, and they'll understand that has been my experience for so many years."

If you want to watch the film but weren’t able to make it out on Thursday, you can watch it Sunday at both B&B and AMC Tulsa Hills.