Apple to Offer Free CODA Movie Screenings to Celebrate Its Oscar Nod Next Weekend

You can tell that Apple is absolutely thrilled with its record-breaking six Oscar nominations this year for CODA and The Tragedy of Macbeth. To celebrate, it is re-releasing CODA, which premiered last August in theaters and on Apple TV+, for free in major cities across the U.S. and London from Feb. 25 to Feb. 27.

Apple announced its plans in a press release on Friday and explained that screenings of CODA will be available in “premium theaters” on a first come, first served basis. Participating theaters will host three free daily showtimes from Friday through Sunday, and all screenings will be open captioned. According to Apple, you can check out which theaters and cities are showing the film at this website, which for some reason didn’t appear to be working for me on Saturday.

In addition, there will be a special screening in Los Angeles, the company said, which will feature a live Q&A with the film’s cast as well as its writer and director, Siân Heder. This isn’t the first success for Heder, who worked as a writer on the Netflix show Orange Is the New Black and the streaming network’s movie Tallulah. 

“Every so often, a film comes along that strikes a deep emotional chord for audiences who celebrate its win for humanity. ‘CODA’ does just that. Siân and the amazing cast and crew of ‘CODA’ gave the world a gift with this film, and we are inspired to pass this gift on,” Matt Dentler, head of features at Apple, said in a statement.

CODA is nominated for three Oscars and is noteworthy for several reasons. First of all, it is the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to receive a Best Picture nomination. In addition, actor Troy Kotsur is the first deaf male actor to be nominated for an Oscar. CODA has also been nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

The movie tells the story of Ruby, played by actress Emilia Jones, who is the only hearing member of a deaf family. She is a what is known as a “child of a deaf adults,” or CODA, in the deaf community. Being the interpreter for her deaf family members has long been a big focus in Ruby’s life. This changes when she joins the school’s choir club. After that, Ruby becomes torn over her obligation to help her family and her desire to pursue her music dreams.

The Oscars will be held on March 27 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. You can stream CODA on Apple TV+.