Oscar-hopeful CODA a lesson in inclusive filmmaking, in front of the camera and behind the scenes

For the first time in history, a film with a predominantly deaf cast is up for best picture at the Oscars. 

CODA (Child Of Deaf Adults) follows teenage singer Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), the only hearing person in a tight-knit family of four, as she joins her school choir and sets her sights on a prestigious music college. Jones is joined by veteran actors Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, and Daniel Durant, playing her family members.

Matlin told the Associated Press she thinks it will lead to more actors who are deaf being cast in films.

"A lot of people just aren't in the know. They don't know that we can work just as easily as anyone else," she said through an interpreter.

"I know — I don't hope — that CODA will change the landscape."

Matlin, who plays Ruby's mom Jackie, was the first actor who is deaf to win an Oscar when she took home best actress for Children of a Lesser God in 1987. In the 35 years since that film, her co-star Kotsur (playing Ruby's dad, Frank) is only the second actor who is deaf to receive a nomination.

But CODA isn't the only movie nominated for an Oscar this year featuring people who are deaf. Competing for best documentary short subject, Netflix film Audible tells the story of a star football player at a Maryland high school for deaf students.

The nominations are a rare but encouraging sign that the industry is recognizing actors and stories from the deaf community. Canadians working in the film industry say there are various approaches to making productions inclusive to deaf talent — and that includes hiring behind-the-scenes collaborators who are deaf in an overwhelmingly hearing industry.

Much of CODA's charm is in the comedic chemistry between its lead quartet.

During an early dinner table scene, Ruby's mother admonishes her for listening to music as they're sitting down to eat. Why can't she listen to music, Ruby asks, if her brother is allowed to scroll a dating app mid-meal? Because "Tinder is something we can do as a whole family," her mother responds.

CODA celebrates the joys of being deaf, and showcases deaf culture and humour, said Joanne Weber, a Canada research chair for deaf education at the University of Alberta and the artistic director of Deaf Crows Collective, an all-deaf acting troupe based in Regina.

"When we get together, that's when we can make fun or jokes about that experience," Weber said through an interpreter.

"So CODA brought that out, I thought … They showed that part of our natural discourse when we're with each other."

WATCH | The trailer for CODA, a front-runner in the best picture race: