Step Into My World Film Won the Grand Jury Prize!
I still remember my short film documentary Step Into My World was screened at the Chang Film Festival 2019, held at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario in February 2019. That evening, my film Step Into My World won the Grand Jury Prize Award.
As the director of the film, I was both nervous and proud to see my film work shown on the big screen. Step Into My World captures a real-life experiment where a hearing production coordinator joined a deaf film crew without knowing what the experience would be like. At first, everything feels disorienting and brings an uncomfortable feeling as communication seems impossible. By the end of the day, the meaning behind the experience starts to make sense and leaves you with something to think about after watching.
When the festival announced the winners that evening, I watched the ASL interpreter on stage fingerspell my name, Nicola Di Capua, and my name appeared on the screen. It was a very special night that I will never forget.
Creating Step Into My World was not an easy process. It came with challenges, obstacles, and moments of self-doubt. It reminded me how far this journey has brought me as deaf filmmaker. None of it would have been possible without the dedication of so many amazing people: my crew, cast, director of photography, film mentors, and, of course, my parents, my partner, and extended family who believed in me from the beginning. I am also deeply grateful to the ASL interpreters, the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), the Ontario Arts Council, York University, and the Chang School of Continuing Education. Their support helped make this film a reality.
Even though this happened a few years ago, my book The Cage Was Never Mine To Stay In shares my experiences of how Step Into My World happened. Not only that, but this is the personal book I wrote from my heart. It tells about my deaf journeys, discovering who I am, understanding myself more, and learning to live with honesty, self-love, and peace within myself.