Hollyoaks stars nominated for Oscar

Hollyoaks stars Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton have been nominated for an Oscar.

The soap stars, best known for playing Mitzeee Minniver and Liam McAllister in the Channel 4 show, have bagged a nod for best live action short for their film The Silent Child.

Shenton wrote, produced and starred in the film about childhood deafness after she became passionate about the issue when her father became deaf when she was young.

Overton served as director on the film, focusing on a deaf four-year-old girl named Libby, played by deaf actress Maisie Sly, who lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker teaches her the gift of communication.

Susan Daniels, chief executive of the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “What an incredible achievement, for an incredible film.

“Rachel Shenton, who has been such a wonderful supporter of ours over the years, should be so proud of this fantastic achievement.

“For the 50,000 deaf children in the UK, and the millions of deaf children across the globe, this film shines such a powerful spotlight on so many of the issues deaf children face day in, day out.

“But just as importantly, this beautifully constructed film also makes the argument so powerfully that deaf children can absolutely achieve anything in life, as long as they are given the right support.”