Hear and Now
Encyclopedia
Hear and Now is a 2007
documentary film by Irene Taylor Brodsky
, winning awards in 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival
and the Heartland Film Festival
; and garnering a Peabody Award
in 2008.
and his wife Sally Taylor were in their 60s when they both decided to have cochlear implant
surgery, which could permit them to hear for the first time. The documentary follows what turns out to be a complicated journey from the comfortable world of silence to a profoundly challenging world of sounds and language.
The documentary introduces the couple's personal histories – childhood years learning to communicate in a special school, experiencing the stigma surrounding deafness in mainstream high schools, and having meaningful careers in the Deaf community at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
. Paul was a pioneer in development of TTD
(telecommunications device for the deaf) which is also known as TTY.
The couple's filmmaker daughter chronicled these surgeries and the aftermath. The film show some of the short-term consequences, including both expected and unexpected adjustments each would need to make. These two deaf people investigate the sounds and meaning of sounds; but learning what not to hear becomes an equally significant challenge. The camera records quite different reactions as the couple struggles to adjust after living deaf for a lifetime. The effects of the surgeries are not entirely positive.
The film establishes cochlear implant surgery in an intimate family setting rather than the larger context of the Deaf community.
. At the Sundance Film Festival
, the documentary won the Audience Award; and it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
documentary film by Irene Taylor Brodsky
Irene Taylor Brodsky
Irene Taylor Brodsky is an American documentary film maker. In her several projects, hers was the job of director, producer, writer, cinematographer and editor.-Background:...
, winning awards in 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and the Heartland Film Festival
Heartland Film Festival
The Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
; and garnering a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
in 2008.
Synopsis
The filmmaker's parents were both born deaf; and the couple raised children who were not deaf. Paul TaylorPaul Taylor (engineer)
Paul Taylor is an American engineer, a pioneer in development of telecommunications devices for the deaf . He also enjoys a kind of celebrity status because of his central role in the award-winning documentary Hear and Now. The film by daughter Irene Taylor Brodsky chronicles the before and...
and his wife Sally Taylor were in their 60s when they both decided to have cochlear implant
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
surgery, which could permit them to hear for the first time. The documentary follows what turns out to be a complicated journey from the comfortable world of silence to a profoundly challenging world of sounds and language.
The documentary introduces the couple's personal histories – childhood years learning to communicate in a special school, experiencing the stigma surrounding deafness in mainstream high schools, and having meaningful careers in the Deaf community at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
The National Technical Institute for the Deaf is the first and largest technological college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing...
. Paul was a pioneer in development of TTD
Telecommunications device for the deaf
A telecommunications device for the deaf is a teleprinter, an electronic device for text communication over a telephone line, that is designed for use by persons with hearing or speech difficulties...
(telecommunications device for the deaf) which is also known as TTY.
The couple's filmmaker daughter chronicled these surgeries and the aftermath. The film show some of the short-term consequences, including both expected and unexpected adjustments each would need to make. These two deaf people investigate the sounds and meaning of sounds; but learning what not to hear becomes an equally significant challenge. The camera records quite different reactions as the couple struggles to adjust after living deaf for a lifetime. The effects of the surgeries are not entirely positive.
The film establishes cochlear implant surgery in an intimate family setting rather than the larger context of the Deaf community.
Production
This documentary was co-produced by Vermillion Films and HBO Documentary Films, which reduced the financial risks inherent in the project; and the film was distributed by HBO.Film festivals
In 2007, Hear and Now won the prize for the Best Documentary at the Heartland Film FestivalHeartland Film Festival
The Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
. At the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, the documentary won the Audience Award; and it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.
Select list of festival entries
- Heartland Film FestivalHeartland Film FestivalThe Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
, Best Documentary, Audience Award, 2007. - Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, Audience Award, 2007. - Middle East International Film FestivalMiddle East International Film FestivalAbu Dhabi Film Festival is an international film festival. Created in 2007, the ceremony is held annually in October in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage , under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the ADACH...
- Biogra Film Festival, Special Jury "Best Life" Award.
- EIDF Film Festival, Audience Award.
- American Film Festival in Moscow.