Sorda Continues to Win Over Audiences and Broadcasters

At the Brussels International Film Festival, Spanish filmmaker Eva Libertad’s Sorda continues its international success, offering a nuanced and immersive portrayal of deaf experience, motherhood, and social exclusion.

Winner of both Belgian broadcasting awards – the RTBF Prize and the BeTV Prize – at the Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF, June 20–28), Sorda, directed by Spanish filmmaker Eva Libertad, continues its successful journey after winning the Audience Award in February at the Berlinale (Panorama section).

The film portrays Angela and Hector, a happy and loving couple despite their differences: she is deaf, he is hearing. The birth of their daughter disrupts this delicate balance. Together, they try to raise their child while navigating their differing experiences and perspectives.

This feature-length fiction is a follow-up to the 2022 short film of the same name, co-directed with Nuria Muñoz Ortín, which earned the duo a nomination at the 2023 Goya Awards.

Eva Libertad draws inspiration from the real-life experience of her sister, Myriam Garlo, who delivers a powerful performance as Angela. Garlo, who is deaf herself, brings authenticity and depth to a story rarely seen with such accuracy on screen.

The director immerses us in the daily life of a deaf pregnant woman, highlighting her relationships with her deaf friends, her parents, her partner, and his hearing friends. The question of whether the baby might also be deaf arises gently yet insistently, alongside more practical concerns such as enrolling in daycare.

As Angela’s pregnancy progresses, her doubts, fears, and frustrations grow. She is confronted with the “quiet” violence of a society that fails to meet her needs. The audience is made to feel like helpless witnesses to this disconnect until a powerful shift in perspective occurs. Through subtle sound distortion, Libertad places us in Angela’s auditory world, simulating the experience of being hard of hearing. This sensory approach reaches its peak when Angela is forced to wear a hearing aid, in a moment of rare emotional intensity.

With Sorda, Eva Libertad tackles an essential yet underrepresented topic: the place of a deaf woman in a world reluctant to accommodate her. She skillfully directs an actress with a disability, while exploring broader themes such as normalcy, motherhood, and the act of listening—both literally and figuratively. Some scenes, especially the childbirth sequence, reach an emotional power rarely seen on screen.

A film that transcends genres and speaks with deep universality.

Djia Mambu
©FIPRESCI 2026