FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
Human with no language (in production)
Directed by Alessandro Repetti
Nando is deaf. He can’t read, write, speak, nor sign. He was never taught any language. Unlike most people, he has no language.
This feature documentary enters the life of a rare and unique individual to discover how language affects our being human. Nando’s world is small, maybe too small.
This documentary captures the intimate, day-to-day life of a man who forged his own unspoken expression through gestures and sheer resilience. Framed by expert commentary on language deprivation and the loving, yet often frustrated, testimonies of his family, the film is a meditative portrait of human connection beyond conventional syntax. It asks: how does one find their voice when the most basic means are absent? Nando's disconnected life becomes a testament to the limitless human capacity for survival and love.
Release date: nearing completion of main photography
Country: United Kingdom, Italy
Runtime: estimated 60-90min
Language: Italian, English
Aspect Ratio: 1.80:1
The spoken material in the film is roughly
60% Italian, 40% English
however
subtitles are the key, as these will function as our way into Nando’s own language in a simple but effective manner never seen before on screen.
Nando
He doesn't hear, read, write nor sign
Deaf-mute since 16 months of age, he had to constantly learn and unlearn life. In 1950s Italy, poverty was the norm. His father worked in mines and was never home. His mother, already struggling with two older children, had to send him to a “special needs” institution: what at the time could be considered a mental asylum. Surrounded by strong disabilities and maniacal figures, Nando learnt to fit in and defend himself without a powerful tool: speech.
Dr Bencie Woll
Honorary Professor of Sign Language and Deaf Studies
Professor Bencie Woll MBE, FBA, is a pioneering American-British linguist and scholar of sign language. In 1995, she became the UK's first Professor of Sign Language, establishing the field nationally. She co-founded the Centre for Deaf Studies at Bristol and later founded the Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre (DCAL) at UCL, serving as its Director. Her extensive research focuses on BSL linguistics, sociolinguistics of Deaf communities, and the neuroscience of signed language.
