“A complex, enigmatic look at the impact of sound on day-to-day life and what happens when it’s removed from the picture — the theft, in essence, happens within the language of the movie itself. If that sounds a bit hard to grasp, well, that may be part of the point. This is one movie that defies any simple categorization and demands to be seen.”
— Erik Kohn,
“Intriguing and fascinating and offbeat...exactly what Sundance is supposed to be about.”
— Bob Mondello,
“A brilliant interplay with captioning, sound, and silence… The Tuba Thieves is an immersive sensory experience unlike anything audiences have encountered before.”
— Pat Mullen,
“...a revolutionary act: not a work about deafness made for those who identify as hearing, but rather an artistic representation of a spectrum.”
— John Fink,
“...dreamy sequences with soundscapes and total silence, [remind] the viewer of the vitality of sound and silence, of absence and lack...The Tuba Thieves is mesmerizing and thought-provoking.”
— Alissa Wilkinson,
ABOUT THE FILM
LOGLINE
A spate of robberies in Southern California schools had an oddly specific target: tubas. In this work of creative nonfiction, d/Deaf first-time feature director Alison O’Daniel presents the impact of these crimes from an unexpected angle. Blending documentary and fictionalized performances and set to an L.A. landscape/soundscape never quite seen before, this film explores a dimensional experience of deafness and reorients the audience auditorily in an unfamiliar and exhilarating way.
LONG SYNOPSIS
A spate of robberies in Southern California schools had an oddly specific target: tubas. In this work of creative nonfiction, d/Deaf first-time feature director Alison O’Daniel presents the impact of these crimes from an unexpected angle. Blending documentary and fictionalized performances and set to an L.A. landscape/soundscape never quite seen before, this film explores a dimensional experience of deafness and reorients the audience auditorily in an unfamiliar and exhilarating way.
NOTE TO EXHIBITORS
Balloons can be handed out to the audience to hold during the screening. The latex membrane of the balloon is another form of access—a second speaker—for the audience to feel the soundtrack. Sound waves travel through the air into the surface of the balloon, enabling the audience to access a huge range of vibrations, from the tiny sensitive sounds to deeper sub-bass frequencies. We encourage everyone in the audience, d/Deaf and hearing, to hold balloons if they want to. This is a throwback to the tradition of Deaf movie goers who would gather in Deaf clubs in the 1950’s and 60’s and hold balloons while watching movies together.
Writer & Director Alison O'Daniel
Producers Alison O'Daniel, Rachel Nederveld, Su Kim, Maya E. Rudolph for Louverture
Executive Producers Wendy Ettinger, Maida Lynn, Sally Jo Fifer, Lois Vossen
Co-Producer Eliza Moley
Consulting Producer Alysa Nahmias
Editors Alison O'Daniel, Zack Khalil
Supervising Editor David Teague
Director of Photography Derek Howard
FESTIVALS
2023: Sundance (World Premiere)
AWARDS
Best Feature Sound Design (Thin Line)
AVAILABLE TERRITORIES
North America Only
EXHIBITION FORMATS
DCP, Digital Download
PRESS KIT
Download Press Kit
Exhibition Accessibility Guide
Download Exhibition Accessibility Guide
AVAILABLE PRESS IMAGES (click to preview)
