The award-season success of the film “CODA” continues to delight the Deaf community — and inspire hope for future projects.
“CODA,” a heartfelt drama centering on a child of Deaf adults, is nominated for three Oscars at Sunday’s Academy Awards, and is considered among the favorites for best picture after winning top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Producers Guild of America Awards.
The Oscar nominations are a “historic milestone” and “an incredible elevation” for everyone in the Deaf community, says Howard Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf. He hopes “CODA” leads to change, saying the Oscars have “rewarded actors without disabilities for mimicking people with disabilities” in the past.
“With this nomination for ‘CODA’ as Best Picture, we are hopeful that this means a shift within the Oscars and the movie industry in how they approach casting as well as how stories are told about Deaf people and people with disabilities,” he wrote in an email to the Daily News.
Directed by Sian Heder, “CODA” follows a teenage girl who is the only hearing member of her working-class family. She dreams of going to music school, but struggles with the idea of leaving her close-knit clan.
The film, now streaming on Apple TV+, features Deaf actors portraying Deaf characters, with Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant among the main cast.
“‘CODA’ is the first movie since ‘Children of a Lesser God’ that puts the lives of Deaf people on the large screen in a meaningful way,” Rosenblum wrote. The association, founded in 1880, is a nonprofit organization run by Deaf people to advocate for Deaf rights.
“There have been a number of movies with Deaf roles, but rarely do they showcase Deaf culture and Deaf people interacting with one another in everyday life. ‘CODA’ brought out the unique experiences of Deaf families that have hearing children, and shared this common story with the American public for the first time.”
Matlin won an Oscar in 1987 for her performance as a janitor working at a school for Deaf students in “Children of a Lesser God,” making her the first Deaf performer to receive an Academy Award.
Kotsur would become the second if he wins best supporting actor Sunday for his portrayal of the “CODA” family patriarch. He won equivalent honors at the SAG Awards and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
“Troy Kotsur is a phenomenal actor who was able in ‘CODA’ to beautifully portray a father who is struggling to accept that his hearing daughter wants to leave the family business and go to college to pursue a musical career,” Rosenblum wrote. “It is important to note that while the character is Deaf, Troy as an actor went beyond just being a Deaf person and showed the incredible range of emotions befitting such a role.”
Last summer, Matlin told the Daily News that “CODA” marked the first time she’d felt “110% liberation” on a movie’s set.
“I could really spread my wings. There were no barriers. There were no communication conflicts. There was nothing of that sort,” Matlin said.
“Everyone was in this game together. We knew what we wanted to make, which was a great film. We wanted to portray the authenticity of Deaf people. We wanted to be honest, tell a good story.”
“CODA,” which is also up for best adapted screenplay at Sunday’s ceremony, would become the first film predominantly about Deaf people to win an Oscar.
Rosenblum says his organization, which advocates for the rights of Deaf people and people who are hard of hearing, is rooting for “CODA” and Kotsur to take home trophies.
“We hope that this film will lead to more movies and shows about Deaf people, and include them in the writing, direction and production of those stories,” Rosenblum said. “For the stories to be truly authentic, Deaf people need to be involved in all aspects from beginning to end.”
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