Hollyoaks stars nominated for Oscar award
Two former Hollyoaks stars have been nominated for an Oscar for their work in The Silent Child, a film about a profoundly deaf child struggling to communicate.
Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton, best known for playing Mitzeee Minniver and Liam McAllister in the Channel 4 show, have bagged a nod for best live action short.
The film tells the story of a profoundly deaf four-year-old girl called Libby, played by deaf actress Maisie Sly, who lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her the gift of communication.
Shenton wrote, produced and starred in the film after she became passionate about the issue when her father became deaf when she was young.
"I saw first-hand the huge effects deafness has on a person and their family," Shenton explained of her motive to create the film.
"I've seen the struggles that deaf people and deaf children face, which finally gave me the impetus to put pen to paper."
The Silent Child was directed by Overton.
Susan Daniels, chief executive of the National Deaf Children's Society, hailed the "incredible film" as "an incredible achievement...
"Rachel Shenton, who has been such a wonderful supporter of ours over the years, should be so proud of this fantastic achievement.
"For the 50,000 deaf children in the UK, and the millions of deaf children across the globe, this film shines such a powerful spotlight on so many of the issues deaf children face day in, day out.
"But just as importantly, this beautifully constructed film also makes the argument so powerfully that deaf children can absolutely achieve anything in life, as long as they are given the right support."