'The Silent Child' is a British short film written by and starring Rachel Shenton and directed by Chris Overton.
It tells the story of Libby, a deaf four-year-old girl, who lives a silent life until a social worker, played by Shenton, teaches her how to communicate through sign language.
The film is one of the five nominees for the Live Action Short Film category for the 90th Academy Awards.
Speaking to Mehr News correspondent on Tuesday, Ali Farahani, Iranian cinematographer described by Overton as “nothing short of a genius”, said he was offered to photograph ‘The Silent Child’ after his work on a research documentary about people with hearing and speech difficulties in the UK.
“The film’s Oscar nomination will increase the audience's awareness of the subject matter and create a new opportunity for societies’ attitude toward people with hearing and speech difficulties,” Farahani said.
Based on the film’s narrative, hearing and speech impairments are not a physical disability. ‘The Silent Child’ teaches the proper way of treating people with hearing and speech difficulties, so instead of rejecting them, the audience is taught how to create appropriate opportunities for including them in social activities.
“’The Silent Child’ has been produced with a low budget but with high standards,” he added.
Farahani’s next projects include feature film ‘Dead Man Walking’ directed by Richard Taylor which will begin production in London by February, as well as a short romance, ‘A Glimpse’, directed by Tom Turner and produced by Rebecca Harris.
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