The first deaf actress winner of a Goya will be in charge of announcing on September 3 the three Spanish films shortlisted to compete for the national candidacy for the Oscar for Best International Film. The Murcian Miriam Garlo will take on this task after making history with her leading performance in ‘Sorda’, as announced on Wednesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Garlo will participate in the event together with the president of the Film Academy, Fernando Méndez-Leite, and the notary Eva Fernández Medina. The Academy will announce that day, starting at 10.30 am, the three titles that will opt to represent España in the 99th edition of the Oscar Awards. The film chosen will be announced on September 16.
The presence of the first deaf performer to win a Goya Award adds a marked symbolism to the event. Garlo made history thanks to her starring role in ‘Sorda’, a film focused on the experience of a deaf woman and the communication and accessibility barriers faced by many people with hearing disabilities.
The interpreter also maintains an active work of dissemination and cultural promotion linked to the deaf community. In recent months she has participated in different initiatives to promote inclusion and accessibility in the performing and audiovisual arts.
QUEEN LETIZIA DISABILITY AWARD
‘Sorda’ has become one of the most recognized Spanish films of the year. The film recently received the Queen Letizia National Disability Award in the category of Inclusive Culture, a recognition of «its contribution to the visibility of deaf people and the promotion of a more inclusive society».
The Murcian actress, who lost her hearing when she was 7 years old and who years later incorporated sign language into her artistic career,has become one of the most visible voices of the deaf community in the cultural field. Her work has advocated for a greater presence of deaf people in film and the performing arts, as well as a broader conception of accessibility and inclusion.
Without communication we are furniture. Without communication there is no respect. And without respect we are a cultural failure as a society
HIS VINDICATION AFTER WINNING THE GOYA
After receiving the Goya, Garlo gave one of the most commented speeches of the gala, claiming the rights of deaf people and the importance of accessible communication. «Without communication we are furniture. Without communication there is no respect. And without respect we are a cultural failure as a society,» he said.
He insisted that «no deaf person is mute» and called for a cinema «without limits or borders» and fully accessible.
