Voices from El-Sayed

The Bedouin village of El-Sayed, which has the largest concentration of deaf people in the world, lies in Israel's Negev desert. Deafness is passed on from generation to generation, as is a unique sign language which has been developing for 200 years, since the deaf Sheik El-Sayed arrived there. By means of an intimate filmic dialogue, the viewer gets to know a society in which generations of El-Sayed's descendants do not regard deafness as a handicap. However, despite this custom, one local man wants to change the fate of his son by the use of modern technology and having the boy undergo implant surgery. This great decision upsets the natural co-existence between the deaf and the hearing in the village, a very rare co-existence in which deafness is regarded as natural and which has something to teach "developed" countries where the deaf are still faced with many obstacles. This use of sound in this film is extremely creative.