Premieres Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS App
Closing the spring season of INDEPENDENT LENS documentaries, the unconventional sonic exploration “The Tuba Thieves” will premiere on May 20, 2024. Directed, written, and produced by hard of hearing filmmaker Alison O’Daniel, the film uses a series of tuba thefts in Los Angeles high schools as a jumping-off point to explore the nature of sound itself, through several d/Deaf people telling stories in the film equivalent of a game of telephone.
Between 2011 and 2013, tubas were stolen from high schools across Southern California. While reporters focused on the thieves, O'Daniel was curious about the impact of the thefts on the students and school communities. She wondered how these thefts were altering the sound of the bands, which ultimately led her to question the role of sound itself and what it means to listen.
In “The Tuba Thieves,” O'Daniel explores the question of sound, prioritizing a form of storytelling in which information collides and is allowed to be misunderstood. In prioritizing Deaf and hard of hearing communication, she generates new sensitivity to sound and meaning.
“Music isn’t necessarily about listening, and hearing is not always an auditory experience,” said Director, Writer, and Producer Alison O’Daniel. “With the ‘The Tuba Thieves,’ I wanted to create a holistic exploration of musicality and the expansion of sound, with an eye towards both hearing and d/Deaf/hard of hearing audiences experiencing the story in similar ways.”
Throughout the film, we are introduced to Nyke Prince, a Deaf woman who is given a drum kit; Geovanny Marroquin, a high school saxophone player impacted by the tuba thefts; and Sam Quinones, an L.A. Times reporter seeking answers. Various Los Angeles musicians are also highlighted, performing in Deaf spaces and presenting concerts frequently (mis)interpreted as silent.
O’Daniel worked on the project for 11 years before premiering it at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023. The film is bolstered by open captioning, which O’Daniel and two other hard of hearing team members worked on to create a more accessible audiovisual experience, expanding them to include more detail and creative sound description than typical films.
Watch On Your Schedule: This film will be available to stream with the PBS App. Extend your viewing window with KPBS Passport, a benefit for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.
- Alison O’Daniel, Director, Writer, Producer
- Su Kim, Producer
- Maya E. Rudolph, Producer
- Rachel Nederveld, Producer
- Presented by ITVS
- https://www.thetubathieves.com/
