The melodramatic film CODA: Señales del Corazón, in whose main cast the Mexican Eugenio Derbez participates, made history this Sunday at the SAG Awards.
The film, produced by Apple TV+, will be He won the night’s top award, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture. The milestone was that it is the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to achieve recognition of this type in the Mecca of Cinema.
The cast, made up of Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Daniel Durant, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo and Eugenio Derbez won the category against other favorites such as ‘Belfast’, ‘No Miren Arriba’, ‘La Casa Gucci’ and ‘King Richard: A Winning Family’.
Kotsur also made history this Sunday night, as he won the statuette for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, becoming the first deaf actor to win a solo award given by this guild.
The Mexican, who attended the ceremony accompanied by his wife, the actress and singer Alessandra Rosaldo, was visibly moved when taking the stage with the rest of her companions, led by the Oscar winner, Marlee Matlin.
“I am surprised, in shock. We need to thank the union, you actors for voting for us. To apple TV+, which bought our film for $25 million dollars at Sundance”, said the actress upon receiving the award.
“We, the deaf actors, have worked hard for this. More than 30 years. I’ve seen all of their movies and I’ve always respected them, and this win validates the fact that we deaf actors can work just like everyone else,” he added, before teaching celebrities in the audience the word “I love you.” ” in sign language.
The film is a dramatic comedy based on the French film ‘La Famille Bélier’, which tells the story of Ruby (Jones), a “CODA” (as children of deaf adults are called) who acts as an interpreter for members of his Boston family, including his mother Jackie (Matlin), father Frank (Kotsur) and brother Leo (Durant).
At a crucial moment in her life, the young woman finds herself torn between the role she plays within her family nucleus, connecting her loved ones with the outside world, and her search for a musical education.
In the film, Derbez plays Bernardo Villalobos, Ruby’s music teacher, who encourages her to follow her dreams.
Apple acquired the film, from writer-director Sian Heder, outside of Sundance for a record $25 million dollars and premiered it in theaters and on its streaming platform on August 13 of last year.
In the next edition 94 of the Oscar Awards, which will take place on 27 March, ‘CODA: Signs of the Heart’ will compete for three statuettes, including Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Kotsur) and Adapted Screenplay.