With ‘CODA,’ French producer revisits story and heads to Oscars

"CODA" producer Philippe Rousselet is pleased, but not surprised, that his heartwarming drama about a deaf family is now a hot favorite for best picture at the Oscars on Sunday.

He always knew the story was good -- so good he made it twice.

"´La Famille Belier´ was a formidably successful comedy, as we like them in France," Rousselet told AFP, referring to the original on which the Apple TV+ hit is based.

"With ´CODA,´ (director) Sian Heder has made it an American film as Americans like them -- more of a dramatic comedy.

"I think both films took the best of what we know how to do in each country."

By domestic French standards, "La Famille Belier" (The Belier Family) was a hit, with three million people seeing it in theaters after its release in late 2014.

"CODA" (an acronym for Child of Deaf Adults) had only a limited theatrical run and then went straight to streaming, where it has been an audience hit that has also pleased critics.

Both movies follow the fortunes of a high school teen as she juggles her musical ambitions with her family´s dependence on her to communicate with the hearing world.

In both versions, much of the dialogue is done in sign language.

To make "CODA," Emilia Jones, who plays teenager Ruby, and writer-director Heder both learned to sign.

But while "La Famille Belier" featured hearing stars playing deaf characters, the equivalent roles in "CODA" went to lesser-known actors who are deaf -- the exception being past Oscar winner Marlee Matlin ("Children of a Lesser God," "The West Wing").

"French films are largely financed by television. To make ´La Famille Belier,´ we had to have known and recognized actors," explains Rousselet.

Ten years later, "it was obvious to us that we had to make ´CODA´ with deaf actors."