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    Deaf Girl Dancing
    Te Ura Nei te Tamaine
    ABOUT THE PROJECT

    LOGLINE
    Guided by a unique ability to see the glowing rhythm of the world around her, D/deaf Rarotongan teen, Ella overcomes crippling social anxiety to trade her viral online fame for a real-life dance floor.

    SYNOPSIS
    DEAF GIRL DANCING introduces us to Ella, a 16-year-old Cook Islands Maori teen who is D/deaf. A sensitive vaine (young woman), Ella often struggles with confidence, preferring to stay home instead of going out with her best friend, Tiare. But within Ella is a secret passion for dancing and creating her own choreography. Recently, Ella has found a platform on TikTok where she can express herself, merging her choreography skills with her unique ability to see a ‘glow’ around moving objects. Her online persona is a confident dancer, but in public, she remains cautious and shy.

    Encouraged by her mum and best friend Tiare, Ella attends her cousin Ituís farewell party. There, she encounters a familiar group of foes who enjoy teasing and intimidating her, reigniting her doubts about herself. When Tiare stands up to them but then leaves her alone for a time, Ella’s internal dialogue and visual noise become overwhelming. Feeling isolated, she closes her eyes to calm herself. Upon reopening them, she sees her tormentors again, delighting in taunting her from a distance. But this time, the ‘glow’ reveals something she had not seen before. It only appears when happiness and joy are present. With this realisation, a powerful choreography draws Ella to the dance floor, where she lights it up with her newfound freedom.

    A Note on Terminology: The term D/deaf is an inclusive convention designed to simultaneously respect both the physiological condition of hearing loss and the distinct cultural identity associated with it. It serves as a respectful umbrella term that encompasses everyone across the hearing loss spectrum without assuming their specific cultural affiliation or communication preference.

    PROJECT TYPE Narrative Short

    DIRECTOR Glenda Tuaine
    SCREENWRITER Glenda Tuaine
    PRODUCER Glenda Tuaine
    EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Karin Williams
    CO-PRODUCER Gina Tavioni Bamber

    WEBSITE motone.biz

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    ID: 682