Costumes on the CODA film

The new movie CODA, Child of Deaf Adults debuts tonight (Jan 28) at Sundance.

The film features a largely deaf cast in telling the story of Ruby, the only hearing member of her family. The costumes for the actors, including Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin, come from the imagination of veteran designer Brenda Abbandandolo, who tell the Hollywood Reporter that she had to:

“Make sure [actors] were comfortable and the clothes weren’t hindering their arms so they could sign throughout the film. These actors were incredible and I actually started to pick up a little bit of sign language. I wish I could sign a little bit more, but they were so happy to be there and they were so open to working with me and they were so generous sharing their experience… and the interpreters just became such a big part of the crew, maybe the most important part of the crew. They became your channel to communication until we learn how to read each other.“

Read the full story here.