‘CODA’s Troy Kotsur An Inspiration To Deaf Stars Of Oscar-Nominated Doc ‘Audible’
deadline.comDeaf representation has taken a major step forward with two Oscar-nominated films this year — one a fictional story, the other entirely real.Best Picture contender CODA stars Oscar-nominated deaf actor Troy Kotsur as a father who is deaf, and whose daughter is hearing and known as a CODA, or ‘child of deaf adults’.
Meanwhile, in the short documentary category, Oscar nominee Audible tells the story of three high school seniors at the Maryland School for the Deaf.
They, like Kotsur, grew up deaf in a society that often shunts to the side those without hearing.Deadline got Kotsur and Audible stars Amaree McKenstry-Hall, Lera Walkup, and Jazie Perry together recently for a video conference call where they shared how moved they were by each other’s films.
During the call Kotsur placed his hand on his chest, telling the young people, “When I saw Audible, it hit me hard. It hit me straight in the heart.”In Audible, directed by Matt Ogens, McKenstry-Hall finds an outlet playing football with fellow deaf classmates on a talented MSD team.
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