Oscar Winning Short Film - The Silent Child Speaker Description The Silent Child is a British sign-languaged short film released in 2017. It tells the story of Libby, a profoundly deaf four-year-old girl, who lives a silent life until a social worker, teaches her how to communicate through sign language. The film won the Live Action Short Film category at the 90th Academy Awards. The release of the film is timely given that Scotland’s first BSL National Plan was published on 22nd October 2017 and colleges and universities are currently in the process of developing their BSL Plans.