“Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements”
Emilio Alonso-Mendoza
Chief Executive Officer at Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Dear AG Bell Community,
Recently, I traveled to New York City to attend the opening weekend of the newly released documentary, “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements.” I was honored when Director Irene Taylor-Brodsky asked me to moderate a Q&A at the Saturday night showing, and I thank her for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of such a monumental documentary. Irene’s passion for her craft and her intelligence are only surpassed by her compassion and commitment to her family. Once you meet her you cannot be but inspired by her engaging personality.
Irene’s exquisite work has been nominated for an Oscar, and she received Emmy and Peabody Awards for her documentaries. Her first documentary, Hear and Now, won the Sundance Audience Award, a Peabody Award and many Jury and Audience Awards worldwide. “Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements” had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Festival and will premiere on HBO in 2020.
“Moonlight” chronicles a boy who is deaf as he grows up, a man who is deaf as he grows old, and perhaps the world's most famous deaf musician, Ludwig van Beethoven. The film opens with the story of Irene’s son, Jonas, who during his first years of life began to lose his hearing. The story continues by chronicling Jonas’ parents’ choice to give him the gift of sound through cochlear implants and speech therapy, as well as what it took to achieve listening and spoken language. As Jonas grows up, we see how the gift of sound allows him to experience a sound many of us take for granted – music.
Throughout the film, we see him overcome challenges as he learns to play Beethoven’s most famous piece, “Moonlight Sonata,” a tragic piece written as Beethoven began to lose his hearing.
The film also weaves in the theme of loss, as we learn about generational deafness through the story of Jonas’ grandparents, Paul and Sally, who are also deaf. We hear their story of how deafness has changed in today’s world, as they take pride in their grandson learning to play the piano. We also see how Paul deals with loss as he is diagnosed to be in the early stages of dementia. It is a deeply moving story as two worlds collide to navigate loss and how to push past it to success.
The documentary is premiering at theaters in major cities across the U.S. during the coming months. AG Bell chapters will be hosting viewings across the country as well, and I encourage you to reach out to your local chapter and monitor AG Bell’s social media pages for show times and dates (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). From September 27 to October 4, the Avalon Theatre will air the documentary right here in Washington, D.C.; I will have the honor of hosting the Q&A on opening night and on Saturday evening. I hope to see many of our AG Bell friends there.
“Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements” is a testament to today’s children who are deaf or hard of hearing in that they can lead fulfilling and successful lives when they have access to early identification, appropriate hearing technology, and qualified professionals. Listening and spoken language is a viable language option for children who are born with or acquire hearing loss. You can help them at every step of their journey. See you at the movies!
Until next time,
Emilio Alonso-Mendoza
Chief Executive Officer
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
“Music is the moonlight in the gloomy night of life.” ― Jean Paul Friedrich Richter
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2 年Emilio, thanks for sharing!