Film about a deaf child wins Oscar, director gives acceptance speech in sign language

The Silent Child, a film about a deaf child, has won the Oscar for live-action short film.

The writer, Rachel Shenton, gave her acceptance speech in sign language. The film director, Chris Overton, joined Shenton onstage. Shenton said that she had promised the lead actress, Maisie Sly, that she would give her acceptance speech in sign.

Six-year-old Maisie plays the lead role in the film.

In her speech, Shenton highlighted the communication barriers that deaf and hard of hearing children face.

Our movie is about a deaf child being born into a world of silence. It’s not exaggerated or sensationalized for the movie. This is happening. Millions of children all over the world live in silence and face communication barriers and particularly access to education – Rachel Shenton, Writer, The Silent Child

Shenton called deafness a silent disability. It is not visible or life threatening. She thanked the jury for allowing them to put the film before a mainstream audience.

Watch in Sign Language