The Tuba Thieves

Described by its maker as a “meditation on access and loss”, this trailblazing film reframes cinema from a d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing perspective.

The true crime mystery worthy of Hercule Poirot or Jessica Fletcher: who was stealing tubas across Californian high schools from 2011 to 2013? The answer is not to be found in The Tuba Thieves, which is interested less in delinquents with a hankering for bass brass than in the absence of sound left by these thefts. From this jumping-off point, director Alison O’Daniel creates a film about a type of listening that is untethered from the ear: the stories of Deaf woman Nyke Price and drummer Geovanny Marroquin, the ambient noises of Los Angeles, John Cage’s 1952 composition 4′33″, a 1979 punk show at San Francisco’s famed Deaf Club.

Informed by her own experience as a hard-of-hearing filmmaker, O’Daniel dextrously weaves together a variety of mediums – documentary, essay film, character study, video art – to create a singular, enveloping sensory experience that probes the processes of interpretation and (mis)communication. Through sound, silence and inventive captioning that captures a d/Deaf or hard-of-hearing person’s stance in the world, The Tuba Thieves immerses its audiences in a technically bravura journey that upends cinema’s relationship with the aural.

“A groundbreaking work of art … [that] creates its own narrative, at once striking and new, a visual and aural experience that can only be lived firsthand.” – Chicago Reader

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MIFF is committed to providing accessible screenings and is proud to offer a Deaf-led screening of The Tuba Thieves on 13 August in ACMI 1. The session will feature an introduction and post-film discussion in Auslan from a panel of Deaf filmmakers and artists, and the film will screen with Open Captions.

The introduction and post-film discussion will be conducted entirely in Auslan, with spoken-English interpreters provided to allow access for all patrons. This is an opportunity to gain insights into how Deaf and hard-of-hearing people experience film and, in particular, The Tuba Thieves. Awareness of Deaf culture and language is an advantage, as certain concepts and turns of phrase may not be explained; however, all patrons are welcome to attend and experience this unique event.

Deaf community panel members will be announced soon. For any questions about access services for this session, please contact access@miff.com.au.