Many little girls enjoy playing dress up, but very few have as special a reason to don their finest frock as six-year-old Maisie Swindon.
For the schoolgirl, from Swindon, must pick out an outfit to wear when she walks the red carpet at the Academy Awards in March.
Maisie, who was born profoundly deaf, was invited to the Los Angeles awards show after wowing critics and audiences with her performance in nominated short film The Silent Child – her first ever film role.
Written by former Hollyoaks star Rachel Shenton, the 20-minute film tells the story of a deaf girl born to hearing parents who struggle to cope with their daughter’s condition.
Deaf schoolgirl Maisie Sly, six, pictured, will attend the Academy Awards in Los Angeles in March after wowing critics with her screen debut as the star of British short film The Silent Child. Pictured, Maisie with parents Elizabeth and Gilson, who are also deaf
Maisie with former Hollyoaks star Rachel Shenton, 31, who wrote the film after her own father went deaf. Shenton also co-stars as the woman who teaches Maisie’s character to sign
In The Silent Child, pictured, Maisie plays Libby, a deaf child born into a hearing family who struggle to cope with her condition. She later finds solace when a social worker, played by Shenton, teaches her sign language, which she had not been taught in mainstream school
In a move befitting of a fledgling Hollywood star, Maisie has already found a ‘pretty’ mint green dress to wear to the Oscars, which she will attend with mother Elizabeth, 31, who is also deaf, the Sunday Times reported.
Speaking about her success, Maisie said: ‘I’m really proud and happy. All my friends keep saying they saw me on the TV and internet. I’m definitely going to Hollywood.’
Maisie, her older brother Jack, seven, and younger sister Chloe, three, are the fourth generation of the Sly family to be born deaf.
Mother Elizabeth explained: ‘Maisie’s great grandparents, grandparents, uncle, mum, dad, brother and sister are all deaf.’
Maisie, her older brother Jack, seven, and younger sister Chloe, three, are the fourth generation of the Sly family to be born deaf. Pictured, the siblings with their parents
The Sly family, pictured, relocated from Cornwall to Swindon so the children could attend Red Oaks Primary School, a mainstream school with specialist support for deaf pupils
The family relocated from Cornwall to Swindon so the children could attend Red Oaks Primary School, a mainstream school with specialist support.
Maisie landed the role after her father Gilson, 34, whis profoundly deaf in one ear and uses a hearing aid, responded to a Facebook advert looking for deaf four and five year olds.
She plays Libby, a deaf child born into a hearing family who struggle to cope with her condition. She later finds solace when a social worker, played by Shenton, teaches her sign language, which she had not been taught in mainstream school.
Maisie’s performance, pictured, has been hailed as ‘magnetic’ and ‘brilliant’ by critics and The Silent Child is hotly tipped to take home the gong for Best Short Film
Maisie on screen with Shenton in The Silent Child, which was directed by Chris Overton
Shenton, whose fiance Overton directed the project, wrote the film after seeing the struggles faced by her father when he went deaf during her childhood.
Maisie’s performance has been hailed as ‘magnetic’ and ‘brilliant’ by critics and the film is hotly tipped to take home the gong for Best Short Film.
Mr Sly said: ‘Watching the film was incredibly emotional, we both feel so proud of Maisie and how she has taken it all in her stride, and stayed the same person.
‘Maisie was pretty cool about the nomination, it’s her natural way. I’m not too sure there are many six year old girls that fully understand the magnitude of Oscars.’