9 minutes. No dialogue. One boy's silence becomes his superpower.
A young deaf Maori boy defies isolation to grow from an undervalued youth into a proud young man.
Direction
Deaf co-director brings lived authenticity.
Cinematography
NZ landscapes mirror emotional isolation.
Acting
Eric Matthews' face does ALL the talking.
Director
Jack O'Donnell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
First NZ short film co-directed by a Deaf filmmaker, premiering at Māoriland Film Festival.
The directors specifically cast deaf actors and used zero spoken dialogue—subverting the 'inspirational disability' trope by simply letting Tama exist.
NZ
