‘I know that change is possible’ – a Deaf prison chaplain’s gospel of hope

Breaking Silence follows Walker Estes, a prison chaplain in the US state of Louisiana, as he assists Deaf people who are incarcerated by helping them to understand their rights, overcome communication barriers and even establish stable lives after their release. Described by his daughter Leslie as a man ‘always seeking to improve the lives of others’, Estes’s impassioned advocacy stems from his life as a Deaf man and from Leslie’s experience navigating the criminal justice system. Both a sensitive portrait of institutional marginalisation and an affecting study of family dynamics, the film holds room for both collective and personal struggle – as well as positive change.