Ep 108: Siân Heder and Emilia Jones on CODA and Deaf Representation on Screen

This episode celebrates the film CODA, which has been longlisted for seven British Academy Film Awards: for Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay, for Leading Actress and Supporting Actor, for Casting, and for Sound. The uplifting comedy-drama follows Ruby (Emilia Jones) a 17-year-old CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), who finds herself torn between pursuing a future at music school and her fear of abandoning her family.

First, our host Anna speaks to writer-director of CODA, Siân Heder and the film’s leading actress Emilia Jones. The pair discuss the reactions they’ve had to CODA from the deaf community and Siân recalls some of the challenges she overcame making this film. Emilia also reveals to Anna her experience learning multiple skills for this film, including an American accent and learning ASL in nine months.

Next, Anna is joined by two incredible women working to raise awareness for Deaf and disabled audiences. They are Charlotte Little, access consultant and film critic, and Teri Devine, Associate Director for Inclusion at the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. As a CODA herself, Teri discusses the relatability of Ruby’s character and highlights some of the accurate details in the film that really stuck with her, including the humour of discussing sex through ASL. Being partially blind and deaf herself, Charlotte discusses the ways in which she relates to the film and analyses the lack of deaf access we see in the film through the Rossi family's experiences. Both Teri and Charlotte then discuss CODA through a feminist lens.

An audio transcript of this episode is available to read on the below link or on our Patreon page. We welcome and encourage feedback from our listeners. If you would like to get in touch with us then please reach out on our social media or via email, [email protected]

CODA is available now on Apple TV+

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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16GHpCfWKwcOoYiQerABqCnuIF3X6L5u68BqEH9n7TVg/edit
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Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith. Executive producer: Hedda Archbold. Audio producer: Dan Pugsley. Assistant Producer: Shanaiya Pithiya. House band: MX Tyrants. This episode was produced in partnership with Apple TV+.