'The film is an ode to silence': Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky shines a light on deafness in Moonlight Sonata

Originally published on May 1, 2019

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is one of the most famous compositions in classical music history, but what some people may not know is that he wrote it when he was beginning to lose his hearing.

That story inspired filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky to bring one of her own to life. Her latest documentary is called Moonlight Sonata: Deafness In Three Movements and it follows Brodsky's deaf son as he learns to play Beethoven with the help of cochlear implants.

For Brodsky, the project was a return to a familiar topic. Her 2007 Peabody Award-winning film Hear and Now centred on her parents, who were both born deaf, as they made the decision to gain their hearing later in life.

Brodsky joined q's Tom Power to tell us more about her new film. Moonlight Sonata: Deafness In Three Movements is screening at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. You can catch it on Friday, May 3.

— Produced by ​Tyrone Callender