Directed by judy lieff • Documentary • With Terrylene Sacchetti • 1997 • 10 minutes

Duties of My Heart is a poetic fusion of American Sign Language, contemporary dance, and spoken word that explores the emotional depth of communication across silence and sound. Drawing inspiration from the experimental dance films of the 1940s, this short experimental film centers a Deaf poet who, after a long day, turns inward to compose a poem—not in written text, but in the expressive movement of ASL.

As her imagination unfolds, the monochrome world around her gives way to color. Gestures evolve into choreography, and signing becomes dance—blurring the boundary between language and movement. Through a layered interplay of visuals, sound design, and poetry, the film offers a dual experience: centering ASL while also inviting hearing audiences into its emotional world.

Designed to be fully accessible to both Deaf and hearing viewers, Duties of My Heart invites reflection on the labor of emotion, the resilience of creative expression, and the radical beauty of language in motion.