Deej is a ground-breaking film about having a voice – a film which even confronts the hidden power relations within traditional documentary-making between director and subject: DJ Savarese, non-speaking poet and activist, joins director Robert Rooy, as writer and producer, sharing editorial control. The result is a film wrested from the hands of the traditional objectifying lens, a film which opens up into a subjective, neurodiverse perspective.

Em Cooper collaborated with poet and activist DJ Savarese to create sequences in which words and images resonate together to create new meanings, exploring DJ’s subjectivity. Her moving-image oil-painted work on the film was nominated for an Emmy in 2018.

39th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards – Outstanding Graphic Design and Art Direction – Nominee
77th Annual Peabody Awards – Winner

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