Profoundly deaf British girl Maisie, aged 6, makes Oscars shortlist with sign language film

Six-year-old Maisie Sly is preparing for a trip to Hollywood. Sly, who is profoundly deaf, stars in the short film called “The Silent Child,” which is one of 10 live action shorts that are shortlisted for the Oscars. The short is about a young child learning to communicate through sign language.

Sly was one of 100 deaf and hard of hearing children who tried out for the part.

“We contacted every deaf association to find an actress and as soon as little Maisie walked into the room, we knew it had to be her,” said Rachel Shenton, who wrote the film. “She is so confident in her deafness.”

Shenton’s thinking about working on other TV or movies about Deaf culture.
“British TV needs a series like Switched At Birth” too,” she said. “Maybe I’ll have to write it.”

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