Private Project

The Eye

In this sly comic zinger from Director Deanne Bray and Executive Producer Troy Kotsur, a hearing Hollywood casting director is having no luck casting a Deaf role, whom she thinks are inexperienced. When an actor named Frank (played by John Maucere) walks in, however, the casting director gets more than she bargained for.

  • Deanne Bray
    Director
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0106207/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
  • Troy Kotsur
    Writer
    The Eye
  • Deanne Bray
    Writer
    In Good Hands and The Eye
  • Troy Kotsur
    Producer
    Primate, CODA, Foundation, Black Rabbit
  • Suanne Spoke
    Key Cast
    "The Casting Director"
    The Brady Bunch, Streetcar Named Desire
  • Igor Djenge
    Key Cast
    "Joey"
    Instagram influencer
  • John Maucere
    Key Cast
    "Frank"
    SuperDeafy, What?, Influencer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 10, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    American Sign Language, English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED Komodo and SONY a7 III
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.89
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Deanne Bray

Deanne Bray is a prominent hard-of-hearing American actress, educator, and advocate. She is best known for her lead role as Sue Thomas in Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye (56 episodes) and for her role as Emma Coolidge on season four of Heroes.

A native Californian, she holds degrees from CSUN and Gallaudet University and has been married for 27 years to the Academy Award-winning Deaf actor Troy Kotsur. She has been a strong advocate for language equality for Deaf and hard-of-hearing children. She currently works as a respected Dialogue Coach on projects including Apple TV’s Foundation, Paramount’s Primates, The Eye, No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie, and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.

Before acting full-time, she taught Deaf and hard-of-hearing students as a Teacher of the Deaf and ASL students as a World Language Teacher with a California Teaching Credential, and she continues to promote ASL nationally as Chair of ACTFL’s Sign Language Special Interest Group.

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Director Statement

The Eye is one of the first few De'Via (Deaf View Image Art) Motion Pictures for the signing and non-signing communities. This is a love letter to my husband, Troy Kotsur, who created this story 25 years ago. As a first-time director, challenged by my husband, the journey of bringing the story from paper to screen made me feel so alive! Forever grateful to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing crew and cast who guided me with their knowledge and expertise in filmmaking as I learned on the job as an emerging filmmaker. Cast: Two Deaf actors and one hearing actor. Crew: 12 Deaf crew members and 2 hearing crew members