Deaf (film)

Ángela, a deaf woman working in a pottery studio in rural Spain,^[4] is expecting a baby with her hearing partner, Héctor. The pregnancy stirs up her anxieties about motherhood and her ability to communicate with her daughter. The birth of the baby girl triggers a crisis for the couple, as Ángela navigates raising her daughter in a world that does not cater to her needs.

• Miriam Garlo [ca] as Ángela^[5]
• Álvaro Cervantes as Héctor^[5]
• Elena Irureta as Elvira^[5]
• Joaquín Notario as Fede^[5]

The film, written and directed by Eva Libertad [es], stars deaf actress Miriam Garlo, who also featured in the 37th Goya Awards nominated short film of the same name, with Álvaro Cervantes, Elena Irureta, and Joaquín Notario. It was produced by Miriam Porté for Distinto Films, Nuria Muñoz Ortín for Nexus CreaFilms and Amalia Blanco for A Contracorriente Films. The film is a collaboration between RTVE, Movistar Plus+, and 7TV Región of Murcia,^[6] and will be distributed in Spanish cinemas by A Contracorriente Films. It was filmed in Murcia over six weeks in June and July 2024.^[7]

Deaf had its world premiere in the Panorama section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival on 15 February 2025.^[8][9][10]

In December 2024, Spain's Latido Films acquired the marketing rights of the film.^[11] It closed distribution deals in the European territories of France (Condor Distribution), Germany and Austria (Piffl Medien), Italy (Lucky Red [it]), the United Kingdom and Ireland (Curzon), the Benelux (CineArt), Switzerland (Agora), Portugal (Outsider), Greece (Feelgood Entertainment), and the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Association of Czech Film Clubs).^[12] Rights were also acquired in China (Wise Media), Australia (Madman), Indonesia (Falcon), Israel (Lev Cinemas), and Japan (New Select).^[12]

The film was presented on 15 March 2025 at the 28th Málaga Film Festival,^[13] in competition for the Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film.^[14]

The film was released in Spanish theaters on 4 April 2025 by A Contracorriente Films.^[15][16] Its festival run also included selections for screenings at the 2025 Seattle International Film Festival ('Ibero-American competition' slate),^[17] the 72nd Sydney Film Festival,^[18] the 40th Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ibero-American Feature section),^[19] the Mediterranean Film Festival Split [hr], the Transilvania Film Festival,^[20] and the 29th Lima Film Festival as opening film.^[21] The film was also part of Horizon section of the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it was screened from 4 July to 12 July 2025.^[22]

Curzon programmed a release at 30 locations in the United Kingdom/Ireland market for 12 September 2025.^[23]

The film was presented in the Made in Spain section at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival on 21 September 2025.^[24][25]

It had its Australian premiere as part of the feature fiction section at the Adelaide Film Festival on 17 October 2025.^[26] Tulip Pictures programmed a theatrical release in Mexico for 6 November 2025.^[27]

On 8 November 2025, it was presented in the European Discoveries section of Arras Film Festival.^[28][29]

The film was programmed in the New Voices New Visions section of the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival for its California Premiere on 3 January 2026.^[30]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.^[31]

Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily assessed that the film "authentically explores the challenges faced by deaf individuals in a hearing world".^[4]

Víctor A. Gómez of La Opinión de Málaga welcomed how the film "achieves what it sets out to do without [cheap] emotional low blows or looking like a triptych from a regional ministry of social affairs ".^[32]

Andrea G. Bermejo of Cinemanía rated the film 5 out of 5 stars, writing that as the story becomes universal, Deaf turns into "a film about the terrible, deep and secret fears that come with motherhood".^[33]

Juan Pando [es] of Fotogramas rated Deaf 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting "the fresh and natural tone chosen in the narration" as the best thing about the film.^[34]

Leslie Felperin of The Guardian rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, stating that it "becomes a bang-on illustration of how cinema can be an engine for empathy".^[35]

In September 2025, the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain included the film in the shortlist of three candidate films to represent Spain in the Best International Film category of the 98th Academy Awards.^[36] Likewise, Deaf was shortlisted within the selection of five finalists vying for the Lux Audience Award, presented by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy.^[37]

• List of Spanish films of 2025