DEAF ACTRESS AND FACEBOOK FRIEND DESTROY A HOLLYWOOD STEREOTYPE
Cami Varela lost her hearing at 12, then lost her father in a plane crash. A friend pulled her into acting to curb her depression and she excelled. Cami received rave reviews for her silent theater performances but sudden health issues sidelined her, caused her budding acting career to slip away. Decades later Cami was living alone, working a Federal Job at an Airforce base, still harboring an impossible dream of becoming an actress, possibly walking a Red Carpet with an award in her hand.
Frank Cappello is a writer/director, had his share of success in Hollywood but because of a changing industry and a sliding economy, Frank’s life and career had also stalled. In the summer of 2017, an accidental “friending” on Facebook connected Frank and Cami. In their initial chat, Cami claimed she was a cyborg, causing Frank to pause until Cami explained that she had regained her hearing with the help of a cochlear implant, a high tech device that sends sound straight to her brain.
They met and Frank was mesmerized by this deaf girl’s life stories. How could someone with so much tragedy and abuse have such a positive life force? He saw Cami as a living angel and wanted to help her. They talked about movies and Cami expressed her disdain for Hollywood because they make every deaf character the same – A well intentioned victim of a disability. Cami wanted to do something bold – she wanted to ‘Break Bad.’ Frank was intrigued.
Frank wrote a short scene and since Cami needed someone to act against, the filmmaker stood in. Friends saw the test, loved Cami and even Frank, which surprised him since he had never acted. “What happens next”, they asked? Frank wrote and shot a new scene and friends liked it even more. The production got bigger and bigger and in a year Frank and Cami had an entire feature film in the can. When friends saw it they were stunned. This wasn’t a gentle film about a disabled victim. This was a high energy, R rated dark comedy about a deaf housewife seeking the Highlife after killing her abusive husband. It was created with no crew and for about the price of a 1987 Yugo.
Frank entered “Steele Wool” into festivals and finally got a bite. They traveled to Jersey City for the Golden Door International Film Festival and after days of screenings, Awards Night arrived. Cami was thrilled she was nominated for BEST ACTRESS even though she didn’t win. Best Director came up and Cami screamed when Frank’s name was called. He turned his acceptance speech into a heartfelt thank you to Cami, because if she hadn’t inspired him, this film, his first in 10 years, would not exist. The final award was up and since their film was not exactly festival friendly, they held little hope. The nominees echoed out in the huge 3000 seat theater and then it happened. Steele Wool miraculously won BEST FEATURE FILM.
That night, September 21st, Cami walked the Red Carpet and since she was a coproducer, she carried the most prestigious award for the top film of the festival, a film neither set out to make. It was an amazing journey that renewed two lives and possibly two careers and solidified the film’s theme: The Highlife we all seek is found in the adventures we dare ourselves to pursue.
Update: Steele Wool has won SIX more awards. Another Best Feature, Another Best Director, Best Editing, Best original Screenplay and TWO BEST LEADING ACTRESS AWARDS. Cami finally got her gold.
