Tribes is a thoughtful yet funny portrayal of how one family navigates the fact that their son Billy is deaf. Billy’s unconventional family has tried to raise him as part of the hearing world and neglected to adopt sign language in their home. Now Billy has returned from university and is again struggling to integrate into his hearing family. When Billy meets Sylvia, a young woman who is becoming deaf and been raised by a deaf family, he finally discovers what it means to be heard. She teaches Billy sign language and exposes him to a whole new community of others who are deaf or going deaf. Tribes follows Billy’s attempt to be a part of many worlds at once: his family’s, Sylvia’s, and the Deaf community, all while striving to find his own identity. As he grapples with his own identity, we, too, are forced to ask questions about the meaning of belonging, community, and family.

 

 

Starring Kalil Almonte, Angela Padilla, Cris Pasturan, Teroy Guzman Dolly de Leon, Thea Yrastorza

 

Directed by Topper Fabregas

 

Set Design: Ed Lacson

Production Design and Costume: Marta Lovina

Lighting Design: John Batalla

Sound Design: Teresa Barrozo

Sign Language Instructor: John Xandre Baliza