Istanbul (Turkiye News) Turkish screenwriter and director Umar Yildirim has said that the production and research process of his award-winning short film Silent Plan gave him a deeper understanding of the deaf community, which remained a continuous source of inspiration throughout the project.
The Turkish short film is based on the story of four deaf teenagers who are enrolled in an experimental program that promises to give them the ability to hear for the first time. These young individuals spend years preparing for this moment by recording the voices of their loved ones, but later they are removed from the project, after which they face emotional struggles, identity crises, and issues related to belonging.
Speaking to Anadolu, Umar Yildirim said that he met and communicated with hearing-impaired individuals, during which he learned many things that were previously unknown to him. According to him, this experience became a constant motivation during the filmmaking process.
He participated in a workshop titled “Breaking Barriers in Cinema” organized by Anadolu Academy at the Istanbul International News Center, where behind-the-scenes footage of the film was also shown.
Speaking at the event, Bariskan Onal, Foreign and Economy News Publishing Manager at Anadolu, also highlighted the organization’s “Hands Speak” project, which aims to provide instant and accessible news to hearing-impaired individuals.
He said that films based on disabled communities are very important and praised the natural representation of deaf characters in the film.
According to him, the most commendable aspect was that although the main characters were hearing-impaired, their condition was not portrayed as a “disability” but rather felt like a natural part of the story.
