The story of a “CODA” – or child of deaf adults – pursuing her own path was brought to the screen with humor and empathy by writer/director Siân Heder (AFI DWW Class of 2005) and cinematographer Paula Huidobro (AFI Class of 2004). Tackling this American remake of 2014 French film LA FAMILLE BÉLIER, Heder ultimately found ways to make her approach distinct – embedding her story in the rich specificity of the Gloucester fishing community, while also digging further into Deaf culture and the CODA experience. Coming to the project from outside the Deaf community and knowing she would need to have an intimate understanding of how her characters would communicate, Heder began learning American Sign Language (ASL) while developing the script. She also attended productions put on by Deaf West Theatre, which is where she discovered and cast the film family’s patriarch, Troy Kotsur. The film earned an AFI AWARD, recognizing it as one of the year’s most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image. Accoridng to the official rationale, “CODA signs a proud rallying cry for voices rarely seen on screen. Siân Heder’s powerful story of choosing life’s path resonates beyond the screen and into our hearts – a celebration of rising above challenges to create our own futures. Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant embody the bond between family, the determination to pave a new path to the American dream and the joy of finding your voice – spoken or unspoken.”