Award-winning Catalan production 'Deaf' arrives in cinemas

The Catalan production 'Deaf' ('Sorda'), directed by Eva Libertad, hits cinemas on Friday, having won awards at the Berlin and Malaga film festivals.

The film is the first Spanish feature film to star a deaf actor in the lead role, Miriam Garlo, and explores the challenges a couple faces when navigating parenthood, with one partner being deaf and the other hearing.

The film centers on Ángela, a deaf woman, who is to have a baby girl with Héctor, her hearing partner. 

The pregnancy brings to light her fears about motherhood and about how she will be able to communicate with her daughter. The arrival of the baby will alter the couple's relationship and lead Ángela to face parenting in a world that is not made for her.

According to the director, the film was born from a desire to explore the connection between the hearing world and the deaf community through the lens of a couple.

Everything works between them until they have a child, at which point "Angela must confront the outside world and deal with communication barriers, leading the couple into a crisis," Libertad explained.

The idea for the film came from the bond that the director has with her sister, who plays the lead role, but the storyline is fictional.

It is based on a short film of the same name, nominated for the Goya Awards in 2023, directed by Libertad and Nuria Muñoz. 

Awards

'Deaf' won two awards at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival in February: the Audience Award in the Panorama section, as well as the top prize given by the International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE). 

The film also took home the Biznaga de Oro for Best Spanish Film and the Audience Award at the Malaga Film Festival in March.