Apple Original Films’ “CODA,” a coming-of-age story about the only hearing member of a deaf family, premiers today on Apple TV+ and in theaters. And it will break new ground for deaf movie theater-goers, reports Reuters.
The film will provide open captions that need no special equipment in all U.S. and U.K. movie theaters and showtimes, starting Friday.
Reuters says that Apple worked with movie theater operators to ensure the film would be played everywhere, for deaf and hearing audiences alike. Captions burned into the print is thought to be a first for a feature film release in theaters.
ABOUT ‘CODA’
Written and directed by Siân Heder (“Tallulah,” “Little America”), “CODA” was presented in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and went on to be honored with four awards at the festival: the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, the Directing Award, the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize.
CODA” stars Emilia Jones (“Locke & Key”), Eugenio Derbez (“The Casagrandes”), Troy Kotsur (“The Number 23”), Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (“Vikings”), Daniel Durant (“Switched at Birth”), Amy Forsyth (“Beautiful Boy”), Kevin Chapman (“City on a Hill”) and Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin (“Children of a Lesser God”).
“CODA” is produced by Vendome Pictures and Pathé, with Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, Patrick Wachsberger and Jérôme Seydoux serving as producers, and Ardavan Safaee and Sarah Borch-Jacobsen as executive producers.
Here’s how the movie is described: Seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the sole hearing member of a deaf family – a CODA, child of deaf adults. Her life revolves around acting as interpreter for her parents (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur) and working on the family’s struggling fishing boat every day before school with her father and older brother (Daniel Durant). But when Ruby joins her high school’s choir club, she discovers a gift for singing and soon finds herself drawn to her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo). Encouraged by her enthusiastic, tough-love choirmaster (Eugenio Derbez) to apply to a prestigious music school, Ruby finds herself torn between the obligations she feels to her family and the pursuit of her own dreams.
ABOUT APPLE TV+
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.*
For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and see the full list of supported devices.
