Sian Heder has won best adapted screenplay for her film CODA at the 2022 Oscars.

Adapted from the 2014 French-language film La Famille Bélier, CODA follows the Rossis, a blue-collar fishing family in Gloucester, Massachusetts, as their hearing daughter (played by Emilia Jones), who also acts as the family interpreter, is considering college. (CODA is an acronym for “children of deaf adults.”)

“I want to thank all of my collaborators in the deaf community and CODA community for being my teachers,” said Heder, who also directed the movie.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in August, Heder talked about working with ASL master Alexandria Wailes on the script for CODA, first writing dialogue in English and then finding the appropriate ASL interpretation. Together, Wailes and Heder went through the script, 40 percent of which would be in ASL, and talked about the emotion and intention of each piece of dialogue. “I’m going to watch my words,” Heder remembered thinking.

Nominated with Heder were Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe (Drive My Car); Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth (Dune); Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter); and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog).

CODA has become an awards darling, nominated in several categories at the 2022 Oscars, including best picture. Earlier in the evening, CODA actor Troy Kotsur won the award for best supporting actor. 

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