As a writer/director, Sofya Gollan has told stories exploring colonial romance, living with a disability, and even the supernatural.
Something she has longed to do throughout her three decades in the industry is spotlight the Deaf community – her community – the way she knows them.
Such is the inspiration for Ballpark Normal, a new half-hour series Gollan is set to take to market at May’s Screen Forever conference alongside Justine Flynn and Naomi Just’s production company Drama Queen.
Developed with the assistance of Screen Australia and Screen NSW, the drama follows independent Deaf sisters Ava and Olivia, two girls on the cusp of the next stage of their lives that are suddenly forced to navigate a surprise diagnosis.
Gollan has led two writers’ rooms for the project, working alongside story consultant William Mager, the Deaf British writer behind the upcoming BBC bilingual thriller series Reunion.
The multi-disciplinary artist, who is also set to direct some of the episodes, said the series was a way to feature the Deaf community and Australian sign language on screen while delving into universal themes of sisterhood and finding hope in the dark.
“Generally speaking, Deaf people are portrayed in film and television as being lonely, in the lower socio-economic bracket and on the outside of society,” she said.
“While we do have people like that for all kinds of reasons, the majority of Deaf people are like me; people who have university degrees, can hold down jobs, and are aspirational just like the average Australian.
“But I knew it wasn’t good enough to create a story about the average aspirational Deaf family; I knew that it had to have a bit more conflict and a bit more drama. This story has an element that many families will relate to – a buried secret that one member finds out and just explodes the whole family.”
It’s a combination that proved undeniable for Flynn and Just, who officially launched their company in May 2023.
“With Sofya’s incredible storytelling skills combined with a perspective and a community that has never been showcased on Australian television, it was a no-brainer for Drama Queen to be involved,” Just said.
“As a producer, I have worked with Sofya on short-form content in the past so I’m thrilled that at Drama Queen we can support her to bring to life her vision of this truly unique, half-hour series of two sisters who are both on the precipice of change.”
Ballpark Normal is one of several projects Gollan has focused on in the past couple of years since leaving Screen NSW, where she served as a development and production investment manager from 2016 – 2023.
A graduate of both NIDA and AFTRS, she has previously worked as an actor with the Sydney Theatre Company and the National Theatre of the Deaf USA, among others, and was a long time presenter on ABC’s Play School. She recently made a return to the screen with Jonathan Teplitzky’s Spit, playing the sister of David Wenham’s titular protagonist (“Getting Square was one of my favourite films back in the day, so it was such a joy to be a part of”).
Her work behind the camera includes short films Chlorine Dreams, Roses, and 2024 Sydney Film Festival selection Threshold, as well as documentary Imagined Touch, which screened at the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in NYC and Melbourne’s ACMI in 2023 and was awarded Best Documentary – Community, Educational and Training at last year’s AWGIE Awards.
Along with Drama Queen, Gollan is also working with The Babadook writer/director Jennifer Kent on a new slasher feature titled House of Deaf Death, for which she is expected to have a first draft script later in the year.
Set in the Victorian School for the Deaf, the story follows an Auslan immersion camp that takes a bloody turn following a visit from two boys from a nearby private school.
Gollan, who currently serves as the authorial (screen director) for the Screen Rights board, said she had entered a new phase of her creative career after gaining insights from the executive side of the business.
“I started out as a writer/director when I graduated from film school, but the culture was so different, and the barriers were really high in terms of getting credibility and brands on the board to actually get into the industry as a professional writer/director,” she said.
“That’s when I pivoted and became a screen executive with Screen NSW. [Being] a script development and production manager for six years gave me a huge amount of insight into how deals are made, how productions are made, and how creative people work in a professional capacity.”
She added it was “exciting time to be back in the industry”.
“Notwithstanding Trump and his DEI obliteration, I think there’s an understanding that diversity is really exciting in the industry, because it does give a range of stories that haven’t been seen before, but people can relate and really tap into,” she said.
“It’s exciting to be contributing and I’m glad I’ve still got the energy and the ideas.”