Eyethfilms is a Boston-based company film company that has carved out a very unique niche in the motion picture industry. It is the first film company to create intricate, meaningful feature-length films oriented towards the American Sign Language (ASL) audience, that are entirely accessible to mainstream audiences. Eyethfilms was founded in 2000. Four short films were made: Destination Eyeth, Earadicators, ASL Trials, and ASL Inc. Destination Eyeth, the first short film, is included on the The Golden Legacy DVD as a bonus feature. The Golden Legacy, Eyethfilms’s first feature length film was made in 2002. Eyethfilms is currently in pre-production of Looking Up, a film that it is co-producing with Noah Lydiard.
      Eyethfilm’s value on depicting American Sign Language is obvious- the majority of the dialogue in The Golden Legacy is conducted in ASL with cinematography done from an ASL perspective, hence the language itself is showcased to its maximum potential rather than being chopped, cut off, or leaking off-frame as is the case with mainstream films. A stunning score composed by Chris Thoft-Brown accompanies those that are able to hear, with a degree of comfort and welcome. Subtitles accompany the hearing novice who wishes to learn more about American Sign Language.
      Many movies on the big screen, from Mr. Holland’s Opus and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter to Children of a Lesser God portray the ASL culture in a rather dreary light. Insights one gains into the ASL Culture, if any, are minimal; perspectives are forcibly narrow. Time and again, characters from the ASL community are depicted as outsiders striving for normalization and widespread acceptance. Eyethfilms was founded, in part, as an antithesis to this formula. Eyethfilms was founded with the intent of combining the rich folklore tradition of ASL Culture with the culture’s long history and intriguing social fabric to create an extensive filmic mythology. Media created by Eyethfilms portray a culture that has a broad, enthusiastic agenda in regard to life as opposed to the oft-depicted mainstream film version that concentrates on the pursuit of “being able to hear.”