John Papola of 'Dad Saves America'
John Papola's new short film "To My Father" tells the story of Troy Kotsur, the Oscar-winning deaf actor who credits his "beautiful" cop dad for giving him the strength and inspiration to overcome extraordinary hurdles.
"To My Father" celebrates the ability of a child to triumph over circumstance at the heart of the Christmas narrative, filmmaker John Papola told Fox News Digital in an interview.
The documentary is a powerful tribute to the love between Leonard Kotsur and his son, Troy, who was born deaf yet went on to become an Oscar Award-winning actor.
"Leonard never saw his son as a victim. He saw his son as capable," said Papola, founder of "Dad Saves America."
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"The powerful fact of the Christmas story is that it’s the ultimate rejection of victimhood."
"To My Father" was released on YouTube this month, just in time for the Christmas season.
The 23-minute documentary appears within this article — see it just below — in its entirety, courtesy of the artist.
Leonard Kotsur was the chief of police in Mesa, Arizona, and a devout Catholic.
He raised his son to see himself as a victor and not a victim — a child born in the image of God despite what could have been a debilitating handicap.
"Leonard," said Papola, "told Troy to follow his spark wherever it would take him."
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That spark took Kotsur all the way to the top of the acting profession.
He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2022 for his performance as deaf New England fisherman and father Frank Rossi in the 2021 movie "CODA."
Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur's relationship with his devoted cop dad, Leonard, is the subject of the new short film "To My Father." The powerful production debuted on June 8, 2023, at the Tribeca Festival in New York City and is testament to the importance of fatherhood. It's now out on YouTube. (Emergent Order Foundation)
"My dad didn’t see me as deaf," Kotsur signs in "To My Father," sitting alone in front of the camera between short vignettes of his life.
"He saw me as capable. And that was what was so beautiful about my dad."
"My dad didn’t see me as deaf. He saw me as capable. And that was what was so beautiful about my dad." - Troy Kotsur
Kotsur is the first and only deaf man to win an Academy Award — and just the second deaf performer to claim Oscar honors.
Marlee Matlin won the Best Actress Award in 1987 for her role in "Children of a Lesser God."
"Why am I deaf?" a pre-adolescent Kotsur asked his dad in the documentary’s dramatized account of the actor’s life.
John Papola, founder of Emergent Order studios in Austin, Texas, and host of "Dad Saves America," is fighting to defend fatherhood from a societal onslaught aimed at foundational institutions, including families. He said becoming a dad 18 years ago was a "liberating" experience for him. (Kerry J. Byrne/Fox News Digital)
"Hey, no one knows," his dad signs back. "But God always has a reason. And He has a plan. But what His plan is, what His reason is, we don’t know. Throughout life, we try to figure out what the reason is."
Chief Kotsur learned sign language, coached Troy’s baseball team, helped other kids learn the basics of signing — and created a regional soccer team around Phoenix for Troy and other deaf children.
But life hit the Kotsur family with another remarkable challenge right before the future actor graduated from high school.
"My dad — he was the best signer in our family, but he was in a car accident, and he became paralyzed from the neck down. And he was no longer able to sign," Kotsur said at the podium last year during his Oscar acceptance speech, which was at once triumphant and tearful.
"My dad didn't see me as deaf. He saw me as capable," Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur says in the new short film, "To My Father." (Emergent Order Foundation)
Chief Kotsur was unable to move his arms — and therefore no longer able to communicate with his deaf son.
Yet he still found ways to show his devotion to his family — to "man up," as Papola put it. He remained an inspirational figure to his deaf son despite sudden limitations.
The triumphant message of the Kotsur family, the victory of Christ over the humble circumstances of His birth, and His ultimate victory over death itself, are more important now than ever, said Papola.
"The university system has become a monastery of victimhood," the filmmaker said.
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"Nobody benefits from victimhood, from being told the system is against you or that the world hates you or that you don’t have the ability to succeed."
Actor Troy Kotsur holds up a photo of his father, Leonard Kotsur — a police officer in Mesa, Arizona, and later police chief — in the powerful new short film, "To My Father." (Emergent Order Foundation)
The message of victimhood, Papola added, "is noxious poison to people born naked into the world unaware of what God holds in store."
Police Chief Kotsur "did what we all need to do and pushed his son out into the world," said Papola.
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"Dad, I learned so much from you," Kotsur signed in his Oscar acceptance speech.
"I’ll always love you. You are my hero."
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