Private Project

The Silent Child

Set in rural England and inspired by real life events - The Silent Child film centres around a profoundly deaf four year old girl named Libby who is born into a middle class family and lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her the gift of communication.

  • Chris Overton
    Director
  • Rachel Shenton
    Writer
  • Rachel Shenton
    Producer
  • Chris Overton
    Producer
  • Rebecca Harris
    Producer
  • Julie Foy
    Producer
  • Ali Farahani
    Director Of Photography
    Image Latent,Book Burning,Through Emerald Eyes,A Cope and Visitor
  • Rachel Fielding
    Key Cast
    Cold Feet, New Tricks, Plastic
  • Philip York
    Key Cast
    Silk, The Merchant of Venice, A Tour Of Frost
  • Rachel Shenton
    Key Cast
    Switched at Birth, Waterloo Road, The Hand of the Creator
  • Maisie Sly
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Los Angeles
    United States
    March 4, 2018
    90th Academy® Awards
    Oscar® - Best Short Film
Distribution Information
  • Network Ireland Telvision
    Distributor
    Country: United Kingdom
Director - Chris Overton
Director Statement

Before embarking on the journey of making The Silent Child, my knowledge about deafness was similar to most people's. I knew very little about the community and I would freeze if I was faced with having to communicate with a deaf person.

What I learnt about deafness has changed my life. Deaf people get a really rough ride, but deaf children get it even harder. Our 5 year old profoundly deaf leading actress, Maisie Sly, proves this point in abundance.

Deafness is not a learning difficulty. With the right support a deaf person can achieve a successful life just like anybody else can.

We learn French, German, Spanish and many other languages in schools today, but British Sign Language (which is a beautiful language) is still nowhere to be seen.