A Life Without Words    DVD - available now

In rural Nicaragua, Dulce María (28) and her brother Francisco (22) are Deaf and know no language--spoken, written or signed--until Tomasa, a Deaf sign-language teacher, arrives determined to teach them their first words.


“The film, flowing with sublime images, is as poignant as it is captivating. We follow the awakening of Dulce Maria and Francisco with our heart hurting and a tight smile on our lips. Their “lives without words” reveal more than thousands of books. Not to be missed for anything.”

--La Dépêche du Midi (France)

 

"An important documentary that’s both enlightening and full of emotion; you will walk away with a lasting appreciation for language as well as the human spirit."

--EMRO

 

“…transports you into another way of life--one which is both painfully difficult but also lifts the heart.”

--Hearing Times (U.K.)

 

“…beautifully shot, movingly thoughtful, and ultimately transporting cinematic experience…”

--Ruth Cohen, American Museum of Natural History

 

"Isenberg’s work recalls the profound documentary excursions of Werner Herzog in its complex examination of what it means to be human."

--Spectrum

 

“...immersive...vivid, deeply personal view of the country's sign language movement.”

--Visual Anthropology Review

 

“A masterpiece of aesthetic images and a plea for language as a fundamental human right.”

--DOK.fest Munich

 

“A film of beautiful images and deep pain. It delves into the world of rural Latin America with a view that is neither anthropological nor paternalistic.“

--El Otro Cine (Equador)

 

“It makes you think about how extraordinary it is to have language…It’s beautifully done…”

--Faye Ginsburg, anthropologist

 

DIRECTED & SHOT BY ADAM ISENBERG | PRODUCED & EDITED BY SENEM TÜZEN
SOUND BY ALPER TÜRKKAN | ON-SITE ASSISTANT NOLA NACKERUD
71 MINUTES | HD | 2011 | ZELA FILM | TURKEY, NICARAGUA

 

Zela Film        Stage Film        ABT Istanbul        Jam Session