You've heard plenty of stories about America's civil rights movement over the decades—but probably not this one. Dropping on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 16, Deaf President Now! is a new (and, with a stellar 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, acclaimed) documentary that recounts the eight days of historic protests held at Washington, D.C.'s Gallaudet University—a school centered on the education of the deaf and hard of hearing—in 1988 after the school’s board of trustees appointed a hearing president over several very qualified Deaf candidates.
"After a week of rallies, boycotts and protests, the students of Gallaudet University triumph as the hearing president resigns and beloved dean Dr. I. King Jordan becomes the university’s first Deaf president," reads the doc's summary, per the streaming service. "The protests marked a pivotal moment in civil rights history, with an impact that extended well beyond the Gallaudet campus, and paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)."
Co-directed by Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim, Deaf President Now! features exclusive interviews with several key figures of the protest movement, including Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok and I. King Jordan. Along with archival footage and scripted elements, the 100-minute film also incorporates "an experimental narrative approach called Deaf Point of View, using impressionistic visual photography and intricate sound design to thrust the audience into the Deaf experience," says an Apple TV+ press release.
To tune into Deaf President Now! during premiere weekend and beyond, you're going to need access to Apple TV+. As of press time, the streaming platform offers several subscription options: You can get a monthly plan for $9.99 per month after a free 7-day trial, or you can bundle Apple TV+ with other Apple offerings (iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade) for $19.95 per month at the Individual level, $25.95 per month on the Family plan or $37.95 for month for the Premier option, the latter of which gets you access to all six Apple subscriptions and 2TB of iCloud+ storage.
Check out the official trailer for Dead President Now! before tuning in to the new documentary on Apple TV+ this weekend.
