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The Mother Tongue Film Festival – mothertongue.si.edu – is a collaborative Smithsonian annual event, initiated by the Recovering Voices Program of the National Museum of Natural History. The festival celebrates cultural and linguistic diversity by showcasing films and filmmakers from around the world over four days of screenings in Washington, D.C. All events are free.
The 2019 event just wrapped up, a celebration of the United Nations International Mother Languages Day (February 21) by showcasing recently-produced feature and short-length films about the cultural richness of Indigenous and endangered languages.
This Planeta.com page features key links, the program and when possible videos, and favorite tweets. Whether we were there in person or experiencing FOMO, we continue our celebration of Indigenous Languages in this most interesting year.
Key Links
mothertongue.si.edu
Facebook event
Typepad
@recovervoices
@SmithsonianFolk
Questions = Preguntas
- Did the event have any livestreaming sessions? = ¿El evento tuvo sesiones de transmisión en vivo?
- Which of the videos are accessible online? = ¿Cuáles de los videos son accesibles en línea?
- Are there recommended online resources for those keen on Indigenous languages and recovering voices? = ¿Existen recursos en línea recomendados para aquellos interesados en las lenguas indígenas y en la recuperación de voces?
Schedule of Events
Thursday
National Museum of the American Indian
Potomac Atrium and Rasmuson Theater
5:30 pm – Opening Reception
7:00 pm – Evening Program
“Boy in the Moon”
“Edge of the Knife”
Friday
Smithsonian’s Freer Sackler
Meyer Auditorium
11:00 am – Education Program
“My Heart Speaks Sauk”
“The Boarding School Experience”
“To Wake Up the Nakota Language”
“Colours of the Alphabet”
“Dizhsa Nabani / Living Language: Language Access”
Smithsonian’s Freer Sackler
Meyer Auditorium
2:00 pm – Shorts Program
“Blackbird”
“Imfura”
“Biidaaban (The Dawn Comes)”
NYU Washington, DC
Abramson Family Auditorium
7:00 pm – Evening Program
“Tama”
“Koriva”
“Leitis in Waiting”
Saturday
National Museum of the American Indian
Rasmuson Theater
11:00 am – Family Program
“Dizhsa Nabani / Living Language: Grinding Chocolate”
“The Girl Who Talks to the Moon”
“Maisa: The Chamoru Girl Who Saves Guåhan”
National Museum of the American Indian
Rasmuson Theater
3:00 pm – Afternoon Program
“In Times of Rain”
“Dizhsa Nabani / Living Language: Tlacolula Market”
National Museum of Natural History
Baird Auditorium
6:30 pm – Evening Program
Bhutanese Cham Performance
“The Next Guardian”
Sunday
Eaton Workshop
Eaton Cinema
2:00 pm – Afternoon Program
“Goaskinviellja”
“Sami Blood”
Wikipedia
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Millennium Stage
6:00 – Closing Reception
“Last Whispers: Oratorio for Vanishing Voices, Collapsing Universes and a Falling Tree”
The Mother Tongue Film Festival is a collaboration between Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, and Smithsonian Folklife.
Embedded Tweets
The #MotherTongue2019 Film Festival starts on February 21, International Mother Language Day! Join us for free screenings at Smithsonian museums and other venues in DC. Find more information: https://t.co/tZnYW755Vp #IMLD2019 pic.twitter.com/Mdt3Jq9fJj
— SmithsonianFolklife (@SmithsonianFolk) February 13, 2019
Three episodes of Dizhsa Nabani will be shown at the 2019 Mother Tongue Film Festival, Feb 21-24, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Especially exciting given that 2019 is the UN #InternationalYearOfIndigenousLanguage! Thanks, @RecoverVoices! #2019IYIL #Zapotec #documentary #WebSeries pic.twitter.com/QJzJRlmLLW
— Dizhsa Nabani (@dizhsanabani) January 7, 2019
We are very happy and honored to share that Maisa the Chamoru Girl who Saves Guåhan will screen at this years Mother Tongue Film Festival in Washington, D.C. February 21-24 at various Smithsonian and partner locations in Washington, D.C. More info to come! pic.twitter.com/g3drbNh6Hw
— Twiddle Productions (@TwiddleP) January 1, 2019
Join us this Sat., Feb. 23 for a free film screening of Bhutanese film “The Next Guardian”. A traditional performance will precede screening and a Q&A with the filmmakers will follow. #MotherTongue2019 https://t.co/JPpkTrdg31 pic.twitter.com/r1dWflAysZ
— Smithsonian's NMNH (@NMNH) February 22, 2019
What does it take to sustain a language? Exposure at home, in school, and throughout the community. Support from parents, school systems, and government.
We're talking endangered language education now and through the weekend at #MotherTongue2019. https://t.co/tZnYW755Vp pic.twitter.com/LxYH7P4rwv
— SmithsonianFolklife (@SmithsonianFolk) February 22, 2019
"The simple act of speaking a community's local language goes so far in showing respect to the people there." – Folklife director Michael Mason on visiting Catalonia, or anywhere in the world#MotherTongue2019 #IMLD2019 #IYIL2019
— SmithsonianFolklife (@SmithsonianFolk) February 21, 2019
Planeta.com
https://planeta.com/icymi