Use the search bar to find projects, completed films, and TFL community members.

Projects

Decibel

Five deaf teens immune to a sound-driven apocalypse must decide: save the world or rebuild it.

synopsis

What if what has always been called a disability turned out to be the key to survival? Decibel follows five deaf teenagers who communicate solely in sign language. Raised together in a rural community, their once-unbreakable bond begins to fracture as adolescence pulls them in different directions. Then, a mysterious high-frequency sound sweeps across the globe, turning anyone who hears it into a violent killer. Immune to the sound but surrounded by chaos, the group must not only survive external threats – but also growing tensions within. One pair commits to rescuing survivors, another cares for a child, while a boy with a fragile ego is drawn to a group preaching violent masculinity. Each of them must face the same question: should they save a world that has always excluded them – or let it fall and build something new?

Director’statement

Decibel is a story about five deaf teenagers fighting for survival in an apocalyptic world. At a time when global crises and climate change are shaking our foundations, Decibel reflects the urgency of community, belonging, and inclusion – while giving visibility to those too often overlooked. The series flips expectations: deafness is not portrayed as weakness, but as strength, resilience, and superpower. Being told almost entirely in sign language, Decibel challenges conventions of how sound and silence can be portrayed on screen, creating an innovative viewing experience, emotionally resonant for both deaf and hearing audiences. At its core, Decibel captures what it feels like to be a teenager: the sense of being misunderstood, of testing limits, and of finding the people who truly see you. The apocalypse in Decibel is both literal – the earth turning against humanity – and emotional, amplifying the inner chaos of adolescence into high-stakes survival. It’s a story about friendship under pressure, about the fragility and force of connection, and about the question every generation must face: do we protect a broken world, or dare to imagine something better?

TFL PROGRAMME:
SeriesLab 2025

All the updates once a month in your mailbox, subscribe to the TFL newsletter.