The documentary “Marlee Matlin is Not Alone” will open in theaters on June 20. The film, which played the prestigious Sundance Festival to good reviews, explores the life of actress MARLEE MATLIN, 59, who is deaf. It. Word is that the film covers much more than her deafness and her movie career (which includes the best actress Oscar in 1987 for “Children of a Lesser God.”).

PBS has bought the film for TV broadcast on the “American Masters” program. 

The film was directed by first-time director SHOSHANNAH STERN, 44. She has acted in many TV shows (including “Jericho,” “Weeds” and “Supernatural”) and in a few movies. Her parents, who are observant Jews, are deaf, as is Stern and her two siblings (LOUISE STERN, 48, a novelist and short story writer and BRENDAN STERN, 46ish, a political scientist). 

Stern’s parents met during high school, at a leadership meeting for deaf students. They both had mothers who were Holocaust survivors. Shoshannah Stern has a young daughter who can hear. Her husband (I don’t know if he’s Jewish) is not deaf, but his parents are deaf. He first introduced himself to Stern in sign language.