Former Hollyoaks star Rachel Shenton has been lauded after delivering an acceptance speech in sign language following her win for best live action short film at the Oscars.
During her speech, Shenton said: “I made a promise to our six-year-old lead actress that I'd sign this speech.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“My hands are shaking so I apologise.”
The former British soap opera star wrote, produced and starred in the film. She accepted the award with her fiance and the film’s director Chris Overton who also appeared in Hollyoaks.
Shenton was inspired to write the film after her father went deaf from receiving medical treatment when she was 12, the BBC reports.
Shenton added: “Our movie is about a deaf child being born into a world of silence.
“It's not exaggerated or sensationalised for the movie, this is happening, millions of children all over the world live in silence and face communication barriers and particularly access to education.
“Deafness is a silent disability, I want to say the biggest of thank yous to the Academy for allowing us to put this in front of a mainstream audience.”
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate brandingIn the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
And the Oscar goes to … no one in particular: Movies made with AI can now win awardsUnder the radar Generative AI is no longer a barrier to acclaim
-
Oscars 2025: Anora’s Cinderella triumphFeature The film about a stripper who elopes with the son of a Russian oligarch takes home four Oscars
-
The best body horror movies of the last half-centuryThe Week Recommends If 'The Substance' piqued your interest, these other films will likely be your speed
-
Why Japanese residents can't watch their country's Oscar-nominated #MeToo documentaryTHE EXPLAINER Shiori Ito became one of the faces of Japan's #MeToo movement
-
I'm Still Here: 'superb' drama explores Brazil's military dictatorshipThe Week Recommends Fernanda Torres delivers 'phenomenal' performance as mother whose life is shattered by violence in the Oscar-nominated drama
-
2025 Oscars: voters, record-breakers and precedent-settersThe explainer A walk through Academy Awards history, both past and present
-
Is method acting falling out of fashion?Talking Points The divisive technique has its detractors, though it has also wrought quite a few Oscar-winning performances
-
September 5: 'nail-chewing' thriller explores 1972 Munich Olympics terrorist attackThe Week Recommends Oscar-nominated film cuts between dramatised events and real archival footage from news coverage
