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When “The Simpsons” creative team decided to use American Sign Language in this Sunday’s episode, there was one hitch: The show’s animated characters have only four fingers.

“That was a little tricky, especially because the one thing we’re translating is Shakespeare,” says writer Loni Steele Sosthand. “But I think we pulled it off.”

Sosthand, who joined “The Simpsons” in 2020, is the writer behind the show’s April 10 installment, “The Sound of Bleeding Gums.” The episode is not only notable for featuring the first-ever use of ASL on “The Simpsons,” but it also includes the show’s first-ever deaf voice actors.

Read on at https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/the-simpsons-deaf-voice-actor-sign-language-episode-1235227673/.

Fresh off its Oscars triumph, Apple will re-release “CODA” in movie theaters on Friday. The film, which tells the story of the only hearing member of a deaf family’s relationship with her parents and brother, will screen in over 600 U.S. locations with open captions. That will make the film accessible to the deaf and hard of hearing.

“CODA” became the first movie released by a streaming service to win best picture at Sunday’s ceremony. Director Sian Heder picked up a statue for best adapted screenplay, and Tory Kotsur won best supporting actor.

Read on at https://variety.com/2022/film/news/apple-coda-movie-theaters-open-captions-oscars-win-1235218804.

If you’re a Star Wars fan but didn’t think Troy Kotsur looked familiar when he got up to accept his Best Supporting Actor Oscar on Sunday night, don’t feel bad. Kotsur played an important role in The Mandalorian‘s first season episode “The Gunslinger,” but we never saw his face. He’s the Tusken who communicated with the Mandalorian using Tusken Sign Language—a language Kotsur created.

Kotsur is the first Deaf man to win an Oscar, and the first Deaf actor to appear in Star Wars. He won for his role in CODA, in which he plays the father of Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only hearing child in her family.

Read on at https://www.tor.com/2022/03/29/the-mandalorian-troy-kotsur-oscar.