Indiegogo Backed "The Silent Child" Wins at the Oscars 2018

March 5, 2018 · In The News

Indiegogo Backed “The Silent Child” Wins at the Oscars 2018

Image Source: https://www.oscars.org/press/press-kits

This past Sunday, over 26 million people from around the world tuned in to watch the 2018 Academy Awards. It was a night filled with inspiration in what is arguably the most diversely nominated Oscar field in history.

Jordan Peele became the first African-American writer to be nominated for “Best Original Screenplay” for GET OUT. Rachel Morrison was the first woman nominated for “Best Cinematography” for her film MUDBOUND. Greta Gerwig became the fifth woman ever to be nominated for “Best Director.” In addition to having her film, A FANTASTIC WOMAN, win for “Best Foreign Film,” actress Daniela Vega presented an award, making her the first transgender presenter in Academy Award history.

Along with cheering on the diverse winners and nominees last night, we also celebrated the win of an Indiegogo alum filmmaker. “THE SILENT CHILD” directed by Chris Overton and written by his wife, Rachel Shenton walked away with the Academy Award for “Best Live Action Short,” but first they gave their 137 Indiegogo backers a shoutout:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8BbjIrt_VcQ

This was the second time in Indiegogo’s 10 year history that an Indiegogo backed film won an Oscar. Director, Shawn Christensen’s “CURFEW” won the same award as ‘CHILD’ back in 2013, becoming the first crowdfunded film to win an Academy Award.

Chris and Rachel’s film really stood out among the nominees this year because it tells a story of a different type of inclusion – the inclusion of those with disabilities, a topic that is still only a small part of the larger discussion.

Inspired by her own father’s deafness, Rachel set out to share his experience, and to share her own experience caring for him.

Directed by her husband, Chris and written by Rachel, “THE SILENT CHILD” concerns 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.

There are over 70 million deaf people in the world and four-year-old Libby’s story, though a work of fiction, still speaks volumes to their experiences.