Latest news with #Stern
San Francisco Chronicle
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Marlee Matlin tells her story in an intimate and groundbreaking documentary
When American Masters approached Marlee Matlin about doing a documentary, Matlin had one name in mind to direct: Shoshanna Stern. Like Matlin, Stern is deaf. She also hadn't directed before. But Matlin, who herself became the first deaf person in the Directors Guild of America just a few years ago, was certain she was up to the task. The resulting film, 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' is an intimate look at her life: Growing up in a hearing family; winning the best actress Oscar at 21 for her first movie role in 'Children of a Lesser God,' which film critic Rex Reed at the time called a 'pity vote'; what she's described as an abusive romantic relationship with her co-star, the late William Hurt, which he denied; getting sober; and her experiences in an industry not equipped to accommodate deaf actors. It's also an evocative portal into the world of the deaf community that uses groundbreaking techniques and sound design to put American Sign Language (ASL) and visual communication first. The film opens in select theaters Friday. While Matlin told much of her story in the memoir 'I'll Scream Later,' on some level it wasn't a completely satisfactory experience. Before the #MeToo movement, its revelations were not treated entirely seriously in the media. But a documentary also provided an opportunity. 'We communicate visually,' she said. Matlin and Stern spoke though translators to The Associated Press about the 'CODA' effect, making the doc on their terms, and why they hope Reed sees this film. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity. AP: Shoshanna, what was your approach? STERN: I had never seen a deaf person direct an episode of TV or film. Never. I thought, what does that even look like? I didn't realize until I took the job that really the whole form of documentary as we know it is really rooted in sound, in the assumption that people will be speaking and they can speak. I thought, what are we going to do when we're using American Sign Language? I have to reframe a whole form of documentary. We have to be able to see what a visually-based documentary is going to look like. We wouldn't do justice to Marlee's life if I had forced this form that really wasn't rooted in the way that she experienced this life. And that was exciting to do. Scary for some people out there, but I never felt scared in making this documentary because she believed in me. MATLIN: If I had had a hearing director approach me to do this project, we could have done a very good job, but that person would not have seen me in the same way. They would not have the same lens as a deaf person. AP: What were some techniques you used to spotlight the deaf experience? STERN: I did want to film with captions in mind, so I made sure that we did have a wider frame. We figured out visual voiceover with a split screen that we added. We did this little surgery with words and syllables in one of the scenes where we mixed them all around to be able to bring people into how Marlee experiences conversations and the world. We wanted to make this documentary an immersive experience for the audience members, a sensory experience to help them understand. AP: 'CODA' felt like a big moment, but in the years since it won the Oscar, have you seen things change? MATLIN: 'CODA' certainly was a milestone and respected by so many people in the industry. It tackled a lot of things that both deaf and hearing people or audiences can identify with. I love the fact that they burnt in the captions. That you can't just turn it off. And I hoped that all the love we received and the three Academy Awards that we got would make a difference. It was honored on so many other levels too as well, whether we're talking about (director) Sian (Heder) or you're talking about Troy (Kotsur) or the SAG award which was just a dream come true, specifically of mine. I took that opportunity to specifically address that that we 'exist,' that we want to be actors just like you, we want to be directors, we want be producers, we want to be hair and wardrobe stylists. We want to work in all levels of production. So 'CODA' really elevated that conversation about how much we wanted to be part of the industry. But for some reason it didn't really break open the door as wide as I would have thought. Yet we just don't give up. We are persistent. Because it is what it is. We are working on our own levels to make changes. STERN: Marlee said something really brave when we were at Sundance. She said, 'It won't last.' The moment, yes, in the moment. But I don't know if we have movement. MATLIN: There's so many stories that we can tell, so many stories that you can put up on screen, so many stories that we can put on stage. I'd like to see action because I've been hearing that, 'Yes, we have to do this' or 'I will do this,' but it's been 40 years. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I just want to make sure that we put our money where our mouth is. I go back to that comment about Rex Reed. I wonder if he would ever see this film. I'd love to see if he has the balls to make a comment and say, "Oh look, I realize I might have said something wrong." That's just one example of the things I'd like to see happen. And maybe the people who interviewed me over the years. I don't want you to misunderstand me, I have a great deal of respect for them. But specifically, I am calling out Rex Reed. So, you know, sorry but not sorry.
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
Marlee Matlin tells her story in an intimate and groundbreaking documentary
When American Masters approached Marlee Matlin about doing a documentary, Matlin had one name in mind to direct: Shoshanna Stern. Like Matlin, Stern is deaf. She also hadn't directed before. But Matlin, who herself became the first deaf person in the Directors Guild of America just a few years ago, was certain she was up to the task. The resulting film, 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' is an intimate look at her life: Growing up in a hearing family; winning the best actress Oscar at 21 for her first movie role in 'Children of a Lesser God,' which film critic Rex Reed at the time called a 'pity vote'; what she's described as an abusive romantic relationship with her co-star, the late William Hurt, which he denied; getting sober; and her experiences in an industry not equipped to accommodate deaf actors. It's also an evocative portal into the world of the deaf community that uses groundbreaking techniques and sound design to put American Sign Language (ASL) and visual communication first. The film opens in select theaters Friday. While Matlin told much of her story in the memoir 'I'll Scream Later,' on some level it wasn't a completely satisfactory experience. Before the #MeToo movement, its revelations were not treated entirely seriously in the media. But a documentary also provided an opportunity. 'We communicate visually,' she said. Matlin and Stern spoke though translators to The Associated Press about the 'CODA' effect, making the doc on their terms, and why they hope Reed sees this film. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity. STERN: I had never seen a deaf person direct an episode of TV or film. Never. I thought, what does that even look like? I didn't realize until I took the job that really the whole form of documentary as we know it is really rooted in sound, in the assumption that people will be speaking and they can speak. I thought, what are we going to do when we're using American Sign Language? I have to reframe a whole form of documentary. We have to be able to see what a visually-based documentary is going to look like. We wouldn't do justice to Marlee's life if I had forced this form that really wasn't rooted in the way that she experienced this life. And that was exciting to do. Scary for some people out there, but I never felt scared in making this documentary because she believed in me. MATLIN: If I had had a hearing director approach me to do this project, we could have done a very good job, but that person would not have seen me in the same way. They would not have the same lens as a deaf person. STERN: I did want to film with captions in mind, so I made sure that we did have a wider frame. We figured out visual voiceover with a split screen that we added. We did this little surgery with words and syllables in one of the scenes where we mixed them all around to be able to bring people into how Marlee experiences conversations and the world. We wanted to make this documentary an immersive experience for the audience members, a sensory experience to help them understand. MATLIN: 'CODA' certainly was a milestone and respected by so many people in the industry. It tackled a lot of things that both deaf and hearing people or audiences can identify with. I love the fact that they burnt in the captions. That you can't just turn it off. And I hoped that all the love we received and the three Academy Awards that we got would make a difference. It was honored on so many other levels too as well, whether we're talking about (director) Sian (Heder) or you're talking about Troy (Kotsur) or the SAG award which was just a dream come true, specifically of mine. I took that opportunity to specifically address that that we 'exist,' that we want to be actors just like you, we want to be directors, we want be producers, we want to be hair and wardrobe stylists. We want to work in all levels of production. So 'CODA' really elevated that conversation about how much we wanted to be part of the industry. But for some reason it didn't really break open the door as wide as I would have thought. Yet we just don't give up. We are persistent. Because it is what it is. We are working on our own levels to make changes. STERN: Marlee said something really brave when we were at Sundance. She said, 'It won't last.' The moment, yes, in the moment. But I don't know if we have movement. MATLIN: There's so many stories that we can tell, so many stories that you can put up on screen, so many stories that we can put on stage. I'd like to see action because I've been hearing that, 'Yes, we have to do this' or 'I will do this,' but it's been 40 years. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I just want to make sure that we put our money where our mouth is. I go back to that comment about Rex Reed. I wonder if he would ever see this film. I'd love to see if he has the balls to make a comment and say, "Oh look, I realize I might have said something wrong." That's just one example of the things I'd like to see happen. And maybe the people who interviewed me over the years. I don't want you to misunderstand me, I have a great deal of respect for them. But specifically, I am calling out Rex Reed. So, you know, sorry but not sorry.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Marlee Matlin tells her story in an intimate and groundbreaking documentary
When American Masters approached Marlee Matlin about doing a documentary, Matlin had one name in mind to direct: Shoshanna Stern. Like Matlin, Stern is deaf. She also hadn't directed before. But Matlin, who herself became the first deaf person in the Directors Guild of America just a few years ago, was certain she was up to the task. The resulting film, 'Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore' is an intimate look at her life: Growing up in a hearing family; winning the best actress Oscar at 21 for her first movie role in 'Children of a Lesser God,' which film critic Rex Reed at the time called a 'pity vote'; what she's described as an abusive romantic relationship with her co-star, the late William Hurt, which he denied; getting sober; and her experiences in an industry not equipped to accommodate deaf actors. It's also an evocative portal into the world of the deaf community that uses groundbreaking techniques and sound design to put American Sign Language (ASL) and visual communication first. The film opens in select theaters Friday. While Matlin told much of her story in the memoir 'I'll Scream Later,' on some level it wasn't a completely satisfactory experience. Before the #MeToo movement, its revelations were not treated entirely seriously in the media. But a documentary also provided an opportunity. 'We communicate visually,' she said. Matlin and Stern spoke though translators to The Associated Press about the 'CODA' effect, making the doc on their terms, and why they hope Reed sees this film. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity. AP: Shoshanna, what was your approach? STERN: I had never seen a deaf person direct an episode of TV or film. Never. I thought, what does that even look like? I didn't realize until I took the job that really the whole form of documentary as we know it is really rooted in sound, in the assumption that people will be speaking and they can speak. I thought, what are we going to do when we're using American Sign Language? I have to reframe a whole form of documentary. We have to be able to see what a visually-based documentary is going to look like. We wouldn't do justice to Marlee's life if I had forced this form that really wasn't rooted in the way that she experienced this life. And that was exciting to do. Scary for some people out there, but I never felt scared in making this documentary because she believed in me. MATLIN: If I had had a hearing director approach me to do this project, we could have done a very good job, but that person would not have seen me in the same way. They would not have the same lens as a deaf person. AP: What were some techniques you used to spotlight the deaf experience? STERN: I did want to film with captions in mind, so I made sure that we did have a wider frame. We figured out visual voiceover with a split screen that we added. We did this little surgery with words and syllables in one of the scenes where we mixed them all around to be able to bring people into how Marlee experiences conversations and the world. We wanted to make this documentary an immersive experience for the audience members, a sensory experience to help them understand. AP: 'CODA' felt like a big moment, but in the years since it won the Oscar, have you seen things change? MATLIN: 'CODA' certainly was a milestone and respected by so many people in the industry. It tackled a lot of things that both deaf and hearing people or audiences can identify with. I love the fact that they burnt in the captions. That you can't just turn it off. And I hoped that all the love we received and the three Academy Awards that we got would make a difference. It was honored on so many other levels too as well, whether we're talking about (director) Sian (Heder) or you're talking about Troy (Kotsur) or the SAG award which was just a dream come true, specifically of mine. I took that opportunity to specifically address that that we 'exist,' that we want to be actors just like you, we want to be directors, we want be producers, we want to be hair and wardrobe stylists. We want to work in all levels of production. So 'CODA' really elevated that conversation about how much we wanted to be part of the industry. But for some reason it didn't really break open the door as wide as I would have thought. Yet we just don't give up. We are persistent. Because it is what it is. We are working on our own levels to make changes. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. STERN: Marlee said something really brave when we were at Sundance. She said, 'It won't last.' The moment, yes, in the moment. But I don't know if we have movement. MATLIN: There's so many stories that we can tell, so many stories that you can put up on screen, so many stories that we can put on stage. I'd like to see action because I've been hearing that, 'Yes, we have to do this' or 'I will do this,' but it's been 40 years. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. I just want to make sure that we put our money where our mouth is. I go back to that comment about Rex Reed. I wonder if he would ever see this film. I'd love to see if he has the balls to make a comment and say, 'Oh look, I realize I might have said something wrong.' That's just one example of the things I'd like to see happen. And maybe the people who interviewed me over the years. I don't want you to misunderstand me, I have a great deal of respect for them. But specifically, I am calling out Rex Reed. So, you know, sorry but not sorry.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- General
- Miami Herald
With no flights in or out of Israel, here's how stranded Floridians are getting home
The State of Florida and a group of nonprofits are rushing to bring back Americans stranded in Israel while commercial flights to and from the country are halted amid the conflict between Israel and Iran. The confrontation began Friday after Israel launched a surprise wave of airstrikes targeting Iran nuclear and military sites, top generals and nuclear scientists, the Associated Press reported. Bryan Stern, founder of Grey Bull Rescue, one of the groups coordinating rescue efforts with the state of Florida, said during an online news conference Thursday that there are several college students from Florida and other states who are waiting to be evacuated, including from Florida State University in Tallahassee. A group of 22 University of Miami students who were participating in an internship program in Tel Aviv are some of the people awaiting to be evacuated, according to The Miami Hurricane, the University of Miami's student newspaper. Arielle Green, 22, a UM student who was in the final week of her internship in Israel, told Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami that she recently woke up in the middle of the night to a missile alert blaring on her phone. She rushed to a nearby bomb shelter, where she and other students remained for nearly an hour. 'We're like waiting there and a bunch of Israelis on the street, near a bar, joined us,' she told the news station. 'We were sitting on the floor on mattresses and waiting until we got some sort of signal to leave.' The Miami Herald has contacted the University of Miami for more information. The students are in a safe location and are expected to be flown home by early next week, according to CBS Miami. State of Florida coordinating rescue efforts in Israel Florida's Division of Emergency Management, which is in charge of overseeing the state's response to hurricanes and other disasters, posted on Facebook Sunday that it's 'coordinating efforts to assist Americans seeking evacuation from the hostile situation in Israel.' 'If you or someone you know needs help returning home, visit: reads the post. The link directs people to fill out an evacuation assistance form from Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue, a veteran-led team that helps rescue people from dangerous situations. Grey Bull Rescue has received over 4,000 evacuation requests and expects to hit 6,000 requests by Saturday, according to Stern, who founded the group several years ago. Stern said all of the rescue flights Grey Bull has coordinated so far with DeSantis have been 'successful' and that it has several other flights in the works. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has so far chartered at least four jets to fly nearly 1,500 Jewish Americans, who fled Israel to Cyprus via cruise ship, into Tampa, with Birthright Israel paying for all its participants' transportation costs, according to the Tampa Bay Times. South Florida resident Danielle Gozlan and her family had to travel across the Jordanian border to catch a flight that landed at Miami International Airport Thursday morning, according to WSVN. 'We couldn't find another way back we signed up for different ways—evacuation, rescue ways—and it just didn't work out for us so we had to go through Jordan. We had to get back home,' Gozlan told WSVN. 'It was really hard, especially for the kids, hearing the sirens go off every so often. It was really hard.' This isn't the first time the state of Florida has helped coordinate rescue efforts when there's been escalating conflict in the Middle East. In October 2023, at the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reported that nearly 700 Americans were flown to Florida on four flights from Israel that were coordinated with Project DYNAMO, a veteran-led Tampa-based nonprofit that conducts rescue missions in conflict zones. On Tuesday, Project DYNAMO announced that it had 'completed its first successful evacuations of Americans out of Israel' during this latest conflict in the Middle East, including 30 veterans who were on a retreat in Jerusalem with South Florida non-profit Heroes to Heroes. This article will be updated.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
Journalist hit by LA deputies' round at ICE protest needed surgery, claim says
A British photojournalist needed emergency surgery to remove shrapnel that came from an 'explosive' round shot by deputies during a Los Angeles County protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a legal claim. The photographer, Nicholas Stern, filed the claim against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, accusing the agency of civil rights violations. The legal action was shared with McClatchy News on June 17. 'Upon information and belief, the use of force was motivated by Stern and the surrounding individuals' perceived political affiliation pertaining to immigration,' Stern's attorney, V. James DeSimone, wrote in the claim dated June 16. The sheriff's department did not immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment June 17. Stern is a journalist in Los Angeles working for the British news industry, according to the Guardian. At an ICE protest in Compton on June 7, Stern saw sheriff's deputies using 'less-lethal weapons' against the crowd, including '40mm munitions, flash bang projectiles' and 'pepper spray,' the legal claim says. While there, he 'habitually' held his press badge and camera in the air to 'make it visible that he was a journalist' after covering ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles earlier in the day, according to the filing. A 'skirmish line' — which involved sheriff's department vehicles situated to protect deputies — was put in place by law enforcement on Alondra Boulevard at about 6 p.m., according to the claim. Then, about 10 to 15 people at the demonstration established a 'barricade' and began tossing 'projectiles towards the skirmish line,' the claim said. 'The skirmish line was approximately 200 feet away from the barricade,' DeSimone wrote, adding that Stern was photographing the situation from at least 40 feet away from the demonstrators' barricade. Projectile gets fired at the protest Within a few hours, before, 9 p.m, the claim says Stern observed a group of people 'peacefully protesting' by 'waving flags and chanting' when deputies fired projectiles toward them. While near a person holding a Mexican flag, Stern first saw an explosion, then felt intense pain, the claim continues. Deputies had fired a round from what was possibly a 40mm launcher, according to the claim, which says a casing then 'rocketed into (Stern's) thigh causing an open wound and the pouring of blood.' After Stern was helped to a nearby curb by several protesters in the area, DeSimone wrote in the claim that he fainted from the pain and awoke to a medic bandaging his bleeding leg. Stern was taken to the emergency room at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, where a CT scan revealed he had a '40mm by 60mm' piece of shrapnel stuck in his leg, according to the claim. He was put in an ambulance and transferred to Long Beach Medical Center for surgery, the claim says. Surgical staff inside the center's trauma unit removed the object, which 'fits the description of a less lethal projectile deputies use and fire from a 40mm launcher,' according to the claim. 'He is still in excruciating pain after it was surgically removed,' DeSimone said in a June 17 news release. Stern appeared with DeSimone at his law office in Marina del Rey to announce the claim's filing at a June 17 news conference livestreamed on DeSimone's Instagram page. The claim accuses Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies of purposely firing projectiles at him or near him, without him or anyone near him posing a threat. The claim says they violated a preliminary injunction that puts limits on when deputies can use less-lethal weapons as crowd control measures against non-violent protesters. The legal action seeks to hold deputies accountable under California law, specifically for alleged battery, negligence and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It says Sheriff Robert G. Luna and other supervisors within the county sheriff's department have failed to properly train deputies. As a result, the department's supervisors have enabled and condoned deputies using excessive force, according to the claim. 'Los Angeles County Sheriffs shot an explosive device directly into a crowd, violating its policies, an injunction, and the U.S. Constitution,' DeSimone said in the release. The protests against ICE began in Los Angeles County on June 6, according to USA Today. Similar protests ensued in the following days, nationwide in dozens of U.S. cities. On June 7, in reaction to the demonstrations criticizing deportations in the U.S., President Donald Trump had 2,000 members of the National Guard deployed to Los Angeles, McClatchy News reported. DeSimone previously represented Stern in a federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department, which resulted in a $150,000 settlement in February 2024, according to a report by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, a news site and database run by the Freedom of the Press Foundation. When he sued Los Angeles police in May 2021, he accused officers of misconduct in connection with force used against him when he covered a May 2020 protest over the death of George Floyd, according to the report. The recent immigration protests in the U.S. were followed by nationwide 'No Kings' protests on June 14, when a U.S. Army parade was held in celebration of its 250th anniversary, McClatchy News reported. It was also Trump's birthday on June 14.
