Глухой гонщик из Уэльса снял фильм о том, как тишина стала его преимуществом

The story of how a deaf racing driver from Pontypool uses technology to help him communicate with his team has been made into a new film. Caleb McDuff, 18, was diagnosed as profoundly deaf in early childhood but has not let this stop him from competing professionally. The film, Fuelled by Silence, shows how McDuff's disability became a competitive advantage, as he learned to race in silence. Directed by Lee J Ford, the 90-second film was created by TheGardening.Club and Hijinks as part of the Positivity Through Creativity programme. McDuff narrates the film, which traces his journey from learning to drive as a child to competing professionally. He reveals how, unable to use in-car radio systems available to other competitors, he harnessed the silence to his advantage. The film also showcases how technology now enables him to communicate with his team during races. It ends with McDuff saying: "Now I am ready to prove to the world just how loud silence can be." The project aims to help McDuff secure new brand sponsorships and achieve his goal of competing in the Porsche Carrera World Cup 2027. At 16, McDuff became the first deaf racing driver to win a race in the Britcar Trophy Championship. He said: "I never let being deaf stop me. "This film tells my story and shows that when you believe in yourself, you can overcome any barrier. "My message to everyone is to always follow your dreams. "My message to potential sponsors is that I’m only just getting started." The film uses AI to transport McDuff and his car from familiar racing circuits to the remote reaches of the universe, mimicking his deaf driving experience. Archive footage of McDuff’s childhood racing exploits is blended with AI-generated imagery, placing him and his car on spectacular remote planets, where silence reigns. Read more Welsh star who scored 478 tries in 488 matches has died Rugby stars take on 100 ultra-marathon challenge in Newport for head injury charities Tamryn Kerr, co-founder and chief creative officer at Hijinks, said: "The starting point wasn’t that Caleb succeeds despite the silence, but that the silence helped make him the driver he is. "We wanted potential sponsors to see his extraordinary talent, focus and ambition, and understand just how far he has the potential to go." Morgan Whitlock, executive producer at TheGardening.Club, added: "From the moment I met Caleb and his team I knew we’d do everything we could to support them. "Everyone on this project has brought that same passion and commitment, it’s been a phenomenal process and that shows in the film the team have created. "If it moves the needle for Caleb, it’ll have been worth every moment." The film breaks today on social, online video, press and Caleb McDuff Motorsport’s website, with plans for out-of-home and cinema activity in discussion.