Presented by the Iowa Disability Film Festival

“A groundbreaking work of art, a wonderfully different, beautiful film that showcases creative captioning and visual and audio poetry.”—Josh Flanders, Chicago Reader

Presented with open captions and ASL interpreters for introduction and post-screening discussion with members of the University of Iowa ASL Club, an ASL professor, and local hard of hearing drum major Brandon Alpers.

Descriptive audio available

What is the role of sound and what does it mean to listen? Hard of hearing filmmaker Alison O’Daniel uses a series of tuba thefts in Los Angeles high schools as a jumping-off point to explore these questions. Through several d/Deaf people telling stories in a unique game of telephone, the central mystery of The Tuba Thieves isn’t about theft of instruments; it’s about the nature of sound itself and what it means to listen. Through its exploration the film allows for a form of storytelling in which information collides and is allowed to be misunderstood—prioritizing Deaf and hard of hearing communication to generate new sensitivity to sound and meaning.

Throughout the film, we are introduced to Nyke Prince, a Deaf woman who is given a drum kit; Geovanny Marroquin, a high school saxophone player impacted by the tuba thefts; and Sam Quinones, an L.A. Times reporter seeking answers. Various Los Angeles musicians are also highlighted, performing in Deaf spaces and presenting concerts frequently (mis)interpreted as silent. O’Daniel worked on the project for 11 years before premiering it at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023.

The film is bolstered by open captioning, which O’Daniel and two other hard of hearing team members worked on to create a more accessible audiovisual experience, expanding them to include more detail and creative sound description than typical films. .

All films in the Iowa Disability Film Festival will screen simultaneously in The Chauncey Theater 1 and Theater 3. Screenings in Theater 3 will include additional sensory sensitive accommodations, including low light and reduced volume, and includes modular seating to accommodate a flexible number of wheelchairs. Attendees are asked to indicate their preference of space, however final seating locations may be adjusted to maximize accommodations for all.