Deaf Child

Alex de Ronde Nederland 2017 72 min.

When Tobias was a year old, he was diagnosed with deafness. Tobias is now a young adult, and he has not let his limitation hold him back. Time for his father Alex to get rid of some of the prejudices about "being deaf" - including his own.

In this documentary, Tobias' father shows how the family has overcome many obstacles together. The pivotal figure is Tobias himself, boundlessly optimistic, who never wanted to play a victim at all. By fully accepting his limitations, he has even turned it into his profession; he is now a lecturer in Dutch Sign Language. Father Alex gives an insight into the family using all kinds of home videos. In doing so, Alex not only opposes the prejudices of society, but also courageously admits his own initial reservations. Thanks to Tobias' contagious enthusiasm, Deaf Child becomes a real feel-good documentary about accepting yourself and turning a restriction into something positive. Deaf Child won the audience award at the prestigious documentary festival IDFA.