The Tuba Thieves

ALISON O'DANIEL
USA, 2023
91 minutes, Color
Official website

In Person: Director Alison O’Daniel and actor Warren “Wawa” Snipe.

This film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. It's not a literal story about tubas and thieves, but instead about sound and its absence. Between 2011 and 2013, a series of unusual thefts occurred targeting 12 Southern California high school band rooms with thieves absconding with more than 20 tubas. Using this quirky series of unsolved crimes as a source of inspiration, director and visual artist Alison O'Daniel blends elements of documentary and fiction to create a unique sensory experience that defies categorization. What happens when sound is no longer present? What shifts in the senses when a marching band loses its booming tonal anchor? Featuring a cast of mostly d/Deaf actors and told through a d/Deaf/Hard of Hearing lens, The Tuba Thieves asks its audience to become active participants in this cinematic experience and offers the challenge to engage—and perhaps think—differently.—Andrea Passafiume

In ASL (American Sign Language) and English with Open Captions

Audio Description is available for this screening
ASL Interpretation will be provided at this event