The Silent Child
People Next Door 2018 / The Silent Child / United Kingdom 2017
Libby, who is deaf, is growing up in a family where, for all the rush, there’s still no time left for the seemingly shy little girl. Everything changes when she meets a social worker named Joanne… This Academy Award-winning short film is an empathetic manifesto on the right of the deaf to have their own language. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaking delegation headed by screenwriter and actress Rachel Shenton, ambassador of Britain’s National Deaf Children’s Society.
Synopsis
Libby is locked in impenetrable silence despite growing up in a family where her two older siblings and parents, who just want their little girl to be like other “healthy people,” create more than enough noise. The world of the seemingly shy and listless Libby opens up significantly when she meets social worker Joanne, who starts teaching her sign language… This Academy Award-winning short film is an empathetic and touching manifesto on the right of the deaf to their own language. The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaking delegation headed by screenwriter and actress Rachel Shenton, ambassador of Britain’s National Deaf Children’s Society.
Anna Kořínek
About the film
20 min / Color, DCP
Director Chris Overton
/ Screenplay Rachel Shenton
/ Dir. of Photography Ali Farahani
/ Music Alfredo Sirica
/ Editor Emily Walder
/ Producer Rebecca Harris, Daniel Ormerod
/ Production Slick Films, Slick Showreels
/ Cast Maisie Sly, Rachel Shenton, Rachel Fielding, Philip York
/ Sales Network Ireland Television
About the director
Chris Overton (b. Staffordshire, United Kingdom). Filmography: The Silent Child (2017)
Contacts
Network Ireland Television
23 South Frederick Street, , Dublin
Ireland
Phone: +353 1 679 7309
Fax: +353 1 670 8493
Guests
Chris Overton
Rachel Shenton
Actress
Rebecca Harris
Producer
Tom Turner
Assistant Director
