Approximately 35 million Americans have some form of hearing loss, and around 300,000 of that number live in absolute quiet. But "deaf" is not a four-letter --- OK, it is a four-letter word, though it's not the offensive term that the well-meaning souls who opt for "impaired" or "disabled" believe it to be. Besides referring to the actual physiology, the word "deaf" also signifies the vibrant and diverse culture surrounding those without predictably functioning ears. And since all cultures express themselves through art, it should come as no surprise that this visually oriented community has harnessed the power of film.

The Deaf Rochester Film Festival, which celebrates work by and about the deaf and hard of hearing, is set to unspool its second installment March 23, 24, and 25. This thus-far biennial event boasts features, documentaries, and short films that illuminate the deaf experience, while the panel discussions and social happenings attendant to the festival allow for handy networking among deaf artists. And as is fitting for a film festival going down in a city with the largest per-capita deaf population in the United States, the opening-night selection is boldly homegrown as well as nationally lauded.

Rochester native Irene Taylor Brodsky --- she also participated in 2005's DRFF with Deaf Northwest --- won the audience award in the documentary competition at this year's Sundance Film Festival for Hear and Now, a loving portrait of her parents, RIT retirees Sally and Paul Taylor, who made the controversial decision to get cochlear implants at mid-life. Hear and Now, screening at the Little Theatre on Friday, explores how this drastic alteration to their physical beings affects the way in which the Taylors view themselves, their world, and each other.

Short films by RIT student filmmakers take center stage Saturday evening at NTID's Panara Theatre (admission to the 7 p.m. line-up is free for RIT students with ID), while the day's earlier programs showcase both fiction and nonfiction shorts from the United States, Canada, and international locales as far-flung as Japan and Holland. Among the short pieces NTID professor and student films chair Patricia Durr submitted to 2007's DRFF is Exodus, a moving documentary tracing a deaf Jewish family's flight from Nazi-occupied Austria to the red tape and ignorance of Ellis Island. Heather Smith's 21st Century Deaf Artists, which follows the creative path of talented painter and NTID alum Jengy Geller, screens at NTID's Dyer Art Center on both Saturday and Sunday.

The festival closes Sunday morning with the Italian feature selection Dietro Il Mondo, about deaf students coping with personal problems while figuring their place in a hearing society, and the PBS documentary Through Deaf Eyes, a fascinating look at deaf history. RIT student Adrean Mangiardi is one of the deaf filmmakers included in Through Deaf Eyes, which uses work by deaf artists as well as historical footage to chart the evolution of deaf culture, from early (and often comical) "cures" for hearing loss to the acceptance of American Sign Language in lieu of forced oralism to deaf actor Marlee Matlin's momentous Oscar win.

Many of this year's DRFF films offer subtitling or narration, but voice interpreters will be on hand for most festival selections that are only in ASL. Some filmmakers are choosing to preserve the artistic integrity of their message by presenting their work purely in sign language, but as one interviewee in Through Deaf Eyes observes, "Watching a person tell a story in ASL is like watching a movie." And we all know that movies haven't always relied upon sound.

The 2007 Deaf Rochester Film Festival takes place March 23-25, with events at Little Theatre (240 East Avenue), Rochester Contemporary (137 East Avenue), and the NTID Panara Theatre (on the RIT campus). Tickets cost $10-$15. For more information visit www.drff.org.

DRFF SCHEDULE

Friday, March 23

7 p.m.: Hear and Now, Little Theatre

8:30 p.m.: Post-film reception, Rochester Contemporary

Saturday, March 24 (Panara Theatre)

9 a.m.: Documentaries

11:30 a.m.: Keynote Address by Wayne Betts, Jr.

2:30 p.m.: Short/Art Films

5 p.m.: Dinner, NTID Dyer Arts Center

7 p.m.: Student Films

Sunday, March 25

9 a.m.: Through Deaf Eyes/Beyond the World I & II, Panara Theatre

11 a.m.: Filmmakers Panel Discussion, LBJ-2590

12:30: Audience Awards Brunch/Wrap-Up Remarks, NTID Dyer Arts Center