Are All CODA Actors Deaf?
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival was a groundbreaking event for the Deaf community. The movie CODA, which stands for Child of Deaf Adults, was the first film to feature an all-deaf cast. The movie follows the story of a hearing daughter of deaf parents who must choose between her family and her dreams of becoming a singer.
The cast of CODA is made up of three deaf actors and one hearing actress. Troy Kotsur, who won this year’s award for Best Supporting Actor, was cast as the father, and Daniel Durant as the son. Both Kotsur and Durant are deaf actors who have been in the Deaf community for many years. British actress Emilia Jones was cast as the lead, and she spent six months studying sign language in order to communicate with her deaf co-stars.
The movie was directed by Sian Heder, who is also deaf. Heder was determined to make sure that the cast was as authentic as possible, and she made sure that the actors were able to communicate in their own language. “Being a small production, they had to get really involved,” Heder insists.
The movie was a huge success at the Sundance Film Festival, and it has been praised for its representation of the Deaf community. The movie is a reminder that deaf actors can be just as talented and successful as hearing actors, and that deaf people can tell their own stories.
The success of CODA is a major step forward for the Deaf community, and it shows that deaf actors can be just as successful as hearing actors. It is a reminder that deaf people can tell their own stories, and that they should be given the same opportunities as hearing actors.