Sign language comes to the fore in Oscar-nominated films and blockbusters that focus on deaf characters

In two of the highest-grossing films of 2021, “Eternals” and “A Quiet Place Part II,” we see sign language playing a prominent role with the inclusion of deaf characters.

Sign language underpins three Oscar-nominated films, including Audible, which was nominated for Best Short Film.

“I think our original goal was to really show that deaf people are pretty much like everyone else,” said executive producer Nyle DiMarco. “We have the same problems. We’re all just trying to figure ourselves out.”

MORE | Troy Kotsur makes history as the first deaf person to be nominated for an Oscar

And two best picture nominees, “CODA” and “Drive My Car,” also use sign language.

“It was just a natural conclusion for the director. He was neither inclusion nor diversity conscious, but someone who uses sign language as his natural first language,” said Teruhisa Yamamoto, producer of Drive My Car.

Troy Kotsur could become the second deaf actor to win an Oscar, following in the footsteps of his co-star Marlee Matlin. Kotsur was also hired to create the Tuscan Sign Language for The Mandalorian.

“Tuscan Sign Language really suits their environment, their clothing and their use of thick gloves, so it’s not easy to spell with your fingers with those thick gloves. And they have a different way of thinking and a different way of gesturing,” Kotsur said. “So ASL is a much higher level of language.”

“CODA,” the Oscar-nominated film about a singing teenage daughter in a deaf family, is being developed as a stage musical by Los Angeles-based Deaf West Theater.

FULL LISTING: 2022 Oscar nominations